Robin Olson's blog

A New Year, A New Way to do Adoptions

Dear Friends,

Looking back on 2020, we can take some comfort in knowing we're still here, we're still saving lives. Though it wasn't our biggest, "most saves" year, the fact that we're in operation at all says a lot.

Due to the pandemic, we have made changes to how we do our adoptions.

We are open for business and are doing adoptions. Because our foster cats are located in foster homes, not in a shelter, we cannot invite anyone to meet our cats in person due to health-safety issues related to the pandemic. We realize that everyone who wants to adopt a companion animal should be able to meet them first, so this is how we're going to handle that:

Adoptions will be "Foster to Adopt."

• Home visits will be done via FaceTime

• During virtual home visit you will also be able to see and interact with your cat since we will base our communications from our foster room

• Applications need to be approved, as always

• You will be asked to fill out an "Adoption Terms" form via email and pay the adoption fee (we will hold the fee until the adoption is completed)

• Once approved we will set up a time to pick up your cat/s

The cat will be considered a Kitten Associates foster cat for the period of one week. This will give you and your family time to get to know your new family member. During that time we will provide food and vet care should the cat become ill.

At the end of the foster period (or any time before) we can finalize the adoption or take the cat back if it's not a good fit. We work very hard to make a good match, so we're hoping it will be unlikely you will need to return your foster cat. If so, we will take the cat back, no questions asked, no judging. This should be a simple process.

We have also changed our feeding guidelines. All foster cats are on a fresh diet and our adopters will be expected to continue feeding fresh in their homes. After 15 years of feeding fresh, we have seen a dramatic improvement in the health of all of our cats and kittens. This is not a great change from our feeding guidelines in the past. We will always be a No-Kibble Rescue and are now a 100% Fresh-fed rescue.

It's been a rough road, but we wouldn't be here without all of you. We wish you health, happiness and prosperity in 2021 and look forward to another year of saving lives and helping people live better with their cats.

COVID19 Reopening News

Dear Friends,

It's been two long months since we closed our doors to adoptions and intake. During that time we've helped cats behind-the-scenes by granting funds for vet care or to find them rescue placements. We opened up one of our foster homes so another rescue could place a mama cat and her 4 kittens into a safe and loving environment. We've continued to do cat behavior consultations and helped cat owners understand the power of a fresh diet.

We've been astounded at the number of adoption applications that have come in for our few, remaining foster cats, but sad we've had to say "No" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The good new is, we're finally at a place where we can slowly open our doors, so our foster cats can go to their forever homes.

Based on the guidance of Governor Lamont, we will partially re-open starting on May 20th.

Because we're so careful in screening potential adopters, instead of doing home visits in person, we are going to do home visits via FaceTime or other web video program for the next few months.

We are also limiting adoptions to IN STATE ONLY (Connecticut). We will re-open to doing out-of-state adoptions as the pandemic dies down. Most likely that will not be until September 2020 or later. There is too much additional paperwork and vetting for out-of-state adoptions. We're sorry, but we can't take that on at this time.

We will also implement other changes regarding how we do adoptions for the time being. Adoptions will be handled on a case-by-case basis. It will likely include doing hands-free adoptions where adopters pick up our cats without meeting them in person. Of course we ALWAYS take our cats back if it does not work out.

Our doors remain open to anyone who needs cat behavior counseling, feline nutrition or wellness advice. Though it is still too soon for us to take on any new foster cats or kittens, we will continue to network with our rescue peers to help find cats who need rescue an appropriate placement.

Catshew is getting ready to be placed for adoption! Photo courtesy: Dana Sharkey.

We need you by our side so we can continue to operate. If you'd like to make a purchase of items from our WishList or give a gift to help feed and care for our foster cats, go HERE.

We want to extend our gratitude to everyone who has stayed strong, stayed home and been courteous to everyone by wearing masks. And a special Thank You to our grocery store clerks, our hospital workers, our delivery folks and everyone else on the front lines.

Robin A.F. Olson
President & Founder

COVID19 Update

Dear Friends,

Due to the COVID19 virus, our town offices are closing, as well as the school system. As a business here in Sandy Hook for the past decade, we have been asked to make some changes to help keep our community healthy, which we are more than willing to make.

Because we are so careful in screening potential adopters, that requires we do home visits. Once approved, adopters come to our home, or the home of our foster family, to finalize the adoption. Clearly, doing this with a virus outbreak would put ourselves, volunteers and anyone we meet at some measure of risk. Effective at noon (March 14, 2020) we will be suspending our adoption program until further notice.

We will STILL BE HERE for anyone who needs cat behavior counseling, feline nutrition or wellness advice. We will continue to network with our rescue peers to help find cats who need rescue an appropriate placement. Behind the scenes, we'll take this time to work on some long overdue tasks, like update our web site and more, so stay tuned.

We will also continue to show off photos of our adoptable cats, along with any updates on adopted cats in their forever home. We'll tell some rescue stories or share some fun cat-centric tips to help you live better with your cats.

For now, we'll focus on the day to day care of our treasured foster cats, like Matilda. This poor, sweet girl has waited nearly two YEARS to find her forever home. It's heartbreaking to continue to make her and the others wait, too, but it's for the safety and benefit of our community.

Matty Portait by Window
Matilda still waits for her forever home. Photo courtesy: Dana Sharkey.

We need you by our side so we can continue to operate. We may need to do fundraisers for simple things, like food and litter, but we never ask unless we really need it.

We want to extend our love and support to all of you who are struggling and afraid. We CAN and WILL get through this together. Please offer to help your neighbors if they can't leave their home. Please don't be grabbing every item off a shelf if you already have enough. It's scary times. We really get it, but we can show the world how well we can work together in a compassionate, caring way for the benefit of others.

Robin A.F. Olson
President & Founder

Latest Blog Post

Help Pom Pom Walk

We tried. We tried so hard, but now we need you.

Pom Pom Pomegranate has no chance of walking without discomfort unless we remove her back left leg. It’s taken us 10 months, specialist visits, tests, treatments, and zillions of hours of physical therapy to come to this decision. We need all of you to make it happen.

We need to raise $6,000. by March 9^th.

Give Pom Pom the gift of less pain and a chance to walk more easily.

You can use PayPal

Venmo @KittenAssociates

Checks: made out to Kitten Associates, P.O. Box 354, Newtown, CT 06470-0354

Why Now?

Pom Pom is almost a year old. Her body will not improve beyond what we've been able to do for her.

Imagine you have to keep your leg stretched out. You can’t bend it. You can’t support yourself on your foot because it bends backward at an awkward angle. The weight of the malformed leg forces your back to twist unnaturally. It causes shocks of nerve pain. How can you live like that?

Pom Pom can’t continue to live like this.

We know there are surgical risks. We’ve done extra testing to be as safe as we can be. Will this surgery make everything perfect? No, but her back leg hinders her mobility, so we feel this is her best option. We have to try for Pom Pom.

We can do it with you by our side.

Your gift is tax-deductible as we are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.