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We’d like to extend a sincere Thank You to our match donor and to all our supporters that donated to our Onward and Upward Match Campaign.

There are no words to express our gratitude for your generosity - we were able to raise the $50,000 and received the $50,000 match.

Because of you, we can continue with our expansion which will allow us to increase our lifesaving services and significantly improve the lives of cats.

Our new second floor will be filled with eight spacious free-roaming rooms lined with large windows, cat perches, and trees for cats like Squeak, Burton, Dorian, Chicken Nugget, Rosalie and Bam Bam (all pictured above) to enjoy while waiting for their forever home.

Our newly designed first floor will have a significantly expanded Trapped Cat Holding Room which will allow us to help even more homeless cats, like the cats pictured below.

Thank you for caring about homeless cats today and every day.

Warm Regards,

Felicia Cross

President, Forgotten Cats, Inc.

Lying in your arms, looking in your eyes,

I was a tiny kitten then, a birthday surprise. 

I was so happy and safe with you, I felt so secure, 

Then came the day my world turned to a blur. 

People ask how it happened and I honestly couldn’t say,

All I know is my life changed forever that day. 

I lied there lifeless, the pain shooting down my back,

I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t see, I cried for someone to help me. 

Was it a car that hit me? Was it a kid who threw me?

Maybe a dog who grabbed me? 

I lost my home, my family, my life, 

I walked the streets looking for a bite. 

Dirty and smelling, everyone turned away,

I called for my family, but no one ever came.

We’re on our knees begging for mercy. We usually can see a light, an answer, a way out and we have nowhere to turn.

West has sustained a tail pull injury. He is now incontinent and needs his bladder expressed twice a day. This absolutely precious, sweet and loving soul should not be destined to a life in a cage. He’s done nothing wrong. We need just one person who can step forward and save his life. We can teach you how to express his bladder. Please help us by sharing this information about West. Together, perhaps we can find him the forever home that he so deserves.

Please email info@forgottencats.org for more information about West.

If you are interested in adopting West, please submit our no-obligation Adoption Application at: https://forgottencats.org/adoption-application/. Not ready to adopt? Please consider fostering: https://forgottencats.org/foster-a-cat/. 

Assisting FC Treasurer Jane Chickadel with finances, Helen goes to the Trainer Clinic each week and reviews receipts from intake for the services provided. She keeps a detailed spreadsheet of these receipts. Each week she also receives a package of checks that are sent to the Greenville address and determines whether they are donations, adoption fees, payments for medical services, etc., and prepares these payments for deposit, making copies of the related paperwork for Treasurer Jane. Then she enters the payment information in QuickBooks. She also tracks payments in the database, ensuring that payments are appropriately posted for the cats trapped. She keeps a spreadsheet of credit card payments and records those payments in QuickBooks. Helen said she enjoys working with Jane and keeping her accounting and Excel worksheet skills sharp. Plus, she feels like even though she isn’t working with the cats directly, she is still providing a service to the organization. 

Prior to volunteering at Forgotten Cats, Helen had been a volunteer with Andy’s Friends, but when Andy’s Friends scaled back their operations in 2019, Beth Allen, the director at Andy’s Friends suggested to her that she volunteer with Forgotten Cats. (Beth is also the FC barn cat coordinator.) Initially, Helen was doing surgical prep at the Trainer clinic on clinic days, shaving cats and kittens to prepare them for surgery, administering pain medication as needed, and then sterilizing instruments and preparing surgery packs for the vets. But this work was hard on Helen’s back – she had been diagnosed with a herniated disc – so she stepped away from her role at the clinic and concentrated on helping Jane with the financials.

Helen says she has always had a love for cats, and currently has two cats – Dolly, a diluted torti (who has the attitude of a torti, says Helen!) and Jack, an orange tabby. Dolly had been adopted from Andy’s Friends, which prompted Helen to become a volunteer there, and Jack came from Forgotten Cats. Jack was brought in by FC trapper Sharon Sponheimer one Thursday during Helen’s shift at the clinic. Helen said “he was such a sweetheart, hugging and giving kisses and licking everyone in sight. It turned out he had been abandoned by his owner and was just so glad to be off the streets.  

Olivia Westley knew I had an approved application to adopt and suggested I foster Jack to see if things would work out with Dolly. That was in October 2020. I brought Jack home and we officially adopted him in January 2021.”

Helen says that she and her husband of almost 28 years, Marty, were not fortunate enough to have children, but their fur babies are their kids.  

Helen and Marty’s first fur baby was Milo, a red tabby – who also was Marty’s first cat – adopted at the age of 9 months and lived to be 18 when he succumbed to kidney disease. She said, “He gave us a life of love and affection.”

Helen is originally from Saddle Brook, New Jersey where she was raised and went to school including the County College of Morris, where she earned an AA in Business Administration, and William Paterson University, from which she earned her BA in Accounting. She said she earned both degrees attending school part-time while working full-time for a company with a good tuition reimbursement program. She worked for that same company for 37 years until the company was bought-out and she, plus many of her coworkers, were laid off. This was when she decided to take an early retirement and not continue working! Helen’s best friend, Brenda, had moved to Delaware prior to this and Helen was making several trips each year to visit with Brenda. She and Marty liked Delaware, so it made sense that with Helen newly retired they sold their home and Helen moved to Delaware where the cost of living is less than in northern New Jersey. Marty retired shortly thereafter and joined her!

Helen and Marty now live in a 55+ community in Newark, Delaware on a street that is just a short distance from Brenda’s home. Brenda and Helen enjoy going to listen to live bands and to karaoke – Helen sings while Brenda listens, she says.

Another passion of Helen’s is New York Mets baseball. She said she has been a New York Mets fan from the time she was 12 years-old and she still watches them faithfully, although she now has to stream them on her iPad. “We do go to baseball games in Philly and other stadiums when the Mets come into town, and I wear my Mets shirt and hat proudly” says Helen.

Besides enjoying the Mets, Helen is an avid reader and loves to travel. She and Marty like to take one big trip each year. In January of this year, they traveled to Wales and England. Her mother had been born in Wales and she still has family there so they traveled there to attend the wedding of a cousin’s daughter. Helen said it was interesting to see how weddings are done outside of the US. They then spent a few days sightseeing in London before heading home. She added that sometimes she travels with Brenda!

This coming July they will go on a bus tour called “Cowboy Country” where they will visit some National Parks such as Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, the Badlands and Crazy Horse. “We usually do cruises so this will be a change” says Helen.

Helen, Forgotten Cats is very grateful that your life’s journey brought you to Delaware so that we, too, could benefit from your passions – including your love of cats. Thank you for all you do to help keep our financial house in order!

Above left – Jack; in the center, Dolly; and at right Milo – the Trgala’s first fur baby.

Many thanks to everyone that came out to support 2SP's Cinco de Meow Charity Night - we hope you had as much fun as we did! We've said it before and can't say it enough, you guys are the best!

Our thanks go out to 2SP Brewery and all the staff that worked the event - as always, they did a wonderful job and the generosity of 2SP to host the event is so appreciated. We are already looking forward to 2024 Cinco de Meow!

Brewery Cat seemed to have enjoyed all the opportunities to pose for a picture - thanks to everyone that captured your Brewery Cat sightings and posted them!

Congratulations to the winners of the raffle prizes: Casual Entertaining - Cheryl P.; 2SP Basket - Carol; Colleen C. - Cat Basket; Kit - Chocolate Basket; Mike L. - Card Basket; & B&K D. - Cinco De Mayo Basket.

Thank you to E.S. Draperies, Love, Lisa Cards (Love, Lisa on Facebook), Marge, Carolyn, Janet, & Sandy for the lovely raffle baskets. Special thanks to Bob, Deb, Margie, Crystal, Deb & Dick for helping with raffle and merchandise sales - we couldn't have done it without them. 

According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), feline hyperthyroidism is the most common endocrine disorder in middle-aged and older cats. In fact, PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine under NIH says “It is estimated that over 10% of all senior cats will develop the disorder.” This is something you need to be aware of if you have a cat who is nearing (or is beyond) middle-age!

AAFP states “hyperthyroidism is a disease caused by an overactive thyroid gland that secretes excess thyroid hormone. The excess thyroid hormone causes an overactive metabolism that stresses the heart, digestive tract, and many other organ systems. If your veterinarian diagnoses your cat with hyperthyroidism, your cat should receive some form of treatment to control the clinical signs. Many cats that are diagnosed early can be treated successfully. When hyperthyroidism goes untreated, clinical signs will progress leading to marked weight loss and serious complications to the cat’s vital organs.”

CLINICAL SIGNS

If you observe any of the following behaviors or problems in your cat, AAFP advises you to contact your veterinarian because the information may alert them to the possibility that your cat has hyperthyroidism.

• weight loss despite a normal or increased appetite

• increased urination, more urine in the litter box

• increased drinking or thirst

• defecation outside of the litter box

• increased vocalization

• restlessness, increased activity

• vomiting

• diarrhea

• rarely, lethargy and a lack of appetite

• poor hair coat, unkempt fur

DIAGNOSIS

Routine screening of laboratory tests and blood pressure may detect abnormalities before clinical signs (bulleted list above) become advanced. Blood testing can reveal elevation of thyroid hormones (T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triodethyronine) to establish a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism.

MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OPTIONS

If your veterinarian diagnoses your cat with hyperthyroidism, he or she will discuss and recommend treatment options for your cat. Four common treatments for feline hyperthyroidism are available and each has advantages and disadvantages.

Medical therapy – anti-thyroid medications will control the disease and block the excess production of the thyroid hormone; however, because this medication does not cure the disease, your cat must take it for its entire remaining life. Advantages of medical therapy are a low initial cost, readily available treatment, and no hospitalization. Disadvantages include the need for medication, potential for adverse drug effects, and long-term costs of treatment.

Nutritional therapy – involves feeding a special diet restricted in iodine content to control the production of thyroid hormones, which may manage some cases of feline hyperthyroidism. Advantages of dietary therapy include low initial costs and ease of treatment. Disadvantages include complicating factors if the cat has other diseases or conditions, takes other medications or supplements, or does

not find the taste appealing. Other disadvantages include long-term costs of feeding a prescription diet, and the challenges of feeding this diet in multi-cat households.

Radioiodine therapy – commonly called I-131 by your veterinarian. This treatment consists of administering a small dose of radioactive iodine which only overactive thyroid tissue will absorb. The patient cats then “board” at the facility for a few days until the radiation level in their bodies decreases to a point where they may be discharged back to their homes. The advantages of I-131 treatment are that it can be curative and there is no anesthesia, surgery, or risk of drug reaction. The disadvantage is that few facilities provide this therapy and referral to a specialized treatment center is often necessary.

Thyroidectomy – a surgical technique which removes all or part of the thyroid gland. The advantage of surgery is that it can be curative and eliminate the need for life-long medication. The disadvantages of surgery are that your cat requires general anesthesia and not all cats are good surgical candidates.

Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine states on its website that “when available, radioactive iodine therapy is the treatment of choice for cats with hyperthyroidism. During treatment, radioactive iodine is administered as an injection and is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. The iodine, which is required for the production of both T3 and T4, is taken up by the thyroid gland and the emitted radiation destroys the abnormal thyroid tissue without damaging the surrounding tissues or the parathyroid glands. The majority of cats treated with radioactive iodine have normal hormone levels within one to two weeks of treatment.”

The University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Veterinary Medicine adds to this discussion that “In approximately 95% of cases, the disease is cured after one injection, which is given under the skin."

The Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery reported results of a survey conducted amongst owners whose cats had undergone I-131 treatment for hyperthyroidism and found that “over half of the cats had received previous medical, dietary or surgical treatment. Motivations for changing the initial therapy to I-131 included difficulties in administering medication, side effects, and insufficient improvement in clinical signs. Almost one-fifth of the survey respondents said they were not informed about the existence of I-131 therapy by their veterinarian and found information on treatment online or through friends.”

FINDING LOCAL PROVIDERS OF THE I-131 THERAPY

Unfortunately, finding a veterinarian that provides the radioiodine treatment is not an easy task. Representatives of both the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and the American Association of Feline Practitioners confirmed that there does not currently exist either an association that represents them, or a specialty group that represents that therapy within one of the larger veterinary associations. Internet searches take you to specific providers but not to a single listing where you can compare practice locations, or credentials of veterinary personnel within those practices.

In the geographic area served by Forgotten Cats, we found the following practices – although this may not be the entire list of I-131 providers in our area, but rather just the providers we were able to find. This list of providers will undoubtedly change as more veterinarians become involved in this modality, so it is offered here merely as a convenience to people with immediate needs. Booking times are estimates as of the time of preparation of this article. They are subject to change and should be confirmed with the individual providers.

University of Pennsylvania Ryan Veterinary Hospital, 3800 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 I131therapy@vet.upenn.edu, www.vet.upenn.edu.  

Referrals & Consultations: 215.746.8387. 4-5 days boarding, bloodwork and possible thoracic x-rays required. Booking out approximately 2 months.

Cost: initial workup $1,500; treatment is $2,038 including boarding, for a total of $3,538.

Blue Pearl Pet Hospital, Newark, DE. Blue Pearl contracts-out I-131 therapy to www.RadioCat.com. RadioCat.com’s nearest location to our area is in suburban Baltimore (32 Mellor Avenue, Catonsville, MD 21228). 800.323.9729. They are booking 4-6 weeks out, and their procedure requires 3 days boarding. Cost: $2,465 includes the treatment and boarding.

Metropolitan Veterinary Associates, Norristown, PA contracts-out I-131 therapy to PetRad, 2626 Van Buren Avenue, Norristown, PA 19403, 610.666.1050, www.petrad.com.  They require a referral from your veterinarian, bloodwork and chest x-ray. Cost is $1,500 and includes treatment, boarding, supplies and guarantee. Four days of boarding are required. PetRad did not return my call asking for information about how far out they were currently booking.

Haven Lake Veterinary Hospital, 300 Milford-Harrington Highway, Milford, DE 19963, 302.422.8100,

www.havenlakeanimalhospital.com.  Does not require referral from veterinarian or x-rays, but bloodwork is required. Usually 5-6 days boarding. Procedure is done in-house by Dr. Chris Coon and Dr. Audrey Adkins. No guarantee but if a second injection is required, they said it would be at a reduced rate. Cost is $1,500 and includes treatment and boarding. Haven Lake was able to schedule the procedure within a very short time frame at the time of this article.

Forgotten Cats "Home Run & Summer Fun"

Online Raffle

June 16 - June 26

Stay tuned for details . . . just one little hint - there will be Phillies tickets!

We are always planning events through the year and are always in need of gift cards (restaurants, pet stores, etc.), bottles of wine/liquor, unopened/unused appliances or gift items, etc. Or if you enjoy the fun of creating a gift basket, even better! For the upcoming raffle, we are in need of some gift cards - if you would like to donate a gift card(s), please contact Sandy at sandraltoth135@gmail.com.

Chewy Wish List

It’s never been easier to give back! Help our animals in need by shopping our Wish List on Chewy to donate much-needed pet food and supplies directly to our organization. Just click on "Chewy Wish List" above.

Amazon Wish List

Unfortunately, Amazon has decided to discontinue their Amazon Smile donation program. But please keep in mind that we also have a Wish List on Amazon for much needed items - just click on "Amazon Wish List" above. This makes it super easy to help Forgotten Cats by donating much needed food and supplies to our organization.

We Want to Hear from You!

If you have an idea for an article or a story you would like to share about a rescue, special volunteer, your adoption center or recent adoptions from Forgotten Cats, please send story and photos if possible to: info@forgottencats.org

Forgotten Cats offers a variety of sponsorship levels - if you are interested in learning more about our Sponsorship Program, please visit: https://forgottencats.org/corporate-sponsorship/

Forgotten Cats, Inc. | www.forgottencats.org