October 2013 mews web copy

ladew NEWSLETTER OF THE PATRICIA H. LADEW CAT SANCTUARY

Ladew Spay/Neuter Clinic Fall Fund Drive

mews VOLUME 3 NO. 8

OCTOBER 2013

A Championship Season!

F

or all you baseball enthusiasts, who also enjoy curling up in front of your flat screen TVs with your favorite felines, get your snacks and kitty treats ready — it’s World Series time again!

Diagnostic imaging equipment, vital to our kittes, is needed for the Patricia H. Ladew Spay/Neuter Clinic now open.

You can help us deliver essential sterilization and health services to thousands of homeless cats in the years to come by making a donation on our website.

Call us at (516) 922-CATS! Our Fax # (516) 922-5203 Visit us at theladewcatsanctuary.org www.facebook.com/ theladewcatsanctuary

Now, close to a full recovery from the challenges of Superstorm Sandy, the Ladew Cat Sanctuary has had a rebounding, championship season. In this issue of the ladew mews we’ll replay our own recent accomplishments; we’ll salute a baseball great who proves it is “macho” to love cats; we’ll thank a veterinarian who bats a thousand treating kitties on the DL (disabled list) and support another veterinarian in her quest to ban declaws in cats.

Five Ladew Kitties Touch Home Base!

Adoptapalooza, held on September 8 in Manhattan, was a huge success!

Over 200 same day adoptions with another 400 applications pending for rescue groups belonging to the Mayor’s Alliance for New York City’s Animals.

It was a long, hot day in September and worth every second, because we found great homes for 5 of our kitties! th

The Patricia H. Ladew Foundation would like to welcome the following new family members: Bonnie and Pippa; Katie and Fritz (now Jack); Leslie and Felix; Sarah and Kenny with Ebony and Ivory. We look forward to hearing from you and encourage you all to come and visit us! Thank you again for adopting from us!

ladew mews © October 2013 The Patricia H. Ladew Foundation, Inc.

Executive Editor - Susan V. Whittred, DVM Creative Editor - Elise Klingensmith Sanctuary Photography - Lynn Manno Board of Directors:

Director of Veterinary Medicine Susan V. Whittred, DVM Licensed Veterinary Technician Andrea Castro Manager — Lynn Manno Caretaker — JoAnn Studley Volunteers: Tatum Christiansen (and Insperity) Beata Boruta Robin Fishman Sue Rosen Jane Totura

Call us at (516) 922-CATS! Our fax # is (516) 922-5203.

Visit us at: theladewcatsanctuary.org

THE PAW PROJECT is a documentary written and produced by Dr. Jennifer Conrad, a veterinarian seeking to ban declaws in cats. Her story begins who are now living in a sanctuary.

Disturbed by their chronic pain, Dr. Conrad developed a surgery to allevitakes hours per paw, Dr. Conrad worried about the millions of house cats The only way she could help them is to educate the public about the realities of declaw surgery.

Her documentary is an inspiring story of one woman’s courage to stand up for felines everywhere to have the declaw procedure banned.

Send us your mews!

The Ladew Cat Sanctuary family is always on the alert for updates and happy, interesting, or just plain amusing cat tales about our former residents.

Please email to: Dr. Susan Whittred, DVM info@theladewcatsanctuary.org

Wednesday, November 13th at 7:30 p.m Cinema Arts Center Huntington, NY. For further information go to the Paw Project on Facebook. ladew mews — October 2013 — page two

3X World Series Manager proves it is macho to love cats...

Editor’s Note: A dear friend recently forwarded this story to us, and we knew you would want us to share it with you.

A Manager and His Cats - by Jason Gay (Wall Street Journal online)

T

he story starts with a cat, because everything that is bright, wonderful and important in this world starts with a cat. It’s true. Ask anyone.

Ask the Internet. ers days, and the baseball A’s were hosting the Yankees at Oakland Coliseum. Tony La Russa knew there was a feral cat colony living in the ballpark — he’d seen some of them pawing around during team workouts — and now one of these cats was running out of the bullpen, heading straight for the Oakland dugout and La Russa’s immaculate white cleats.

The manager led the cat toward the dugout, down the steps and into not pinch hit.) Later La Russa and his wife, Elaine, attempted to locate a nearby shelter that would take in the cat, but they learned it would likely be euthanized. That’s when La Russa decided he wanted to start a shelter where that wouldn’t happen. That’s how La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation was born. You know, “ARF” - what the dog says.

And yet Tony La Russa was also a committed cat guy. He was not shy about this. (Manage baseball for more than three decades, win three World Series, build a reputation as one of the best to ever do it, and you can pretty much say what you want.) La Russa loved dogs, and owned plenty of dogs, but dogs had no shortage of advocates. Cats?

Cats could be a harder sell. Not everybody was cat material. La Russa was.

“A lot of men, they don”t even want to try [cats] because they don’t think it’s macho,” he said. It was Wednesday morning, and La Russa, who retired from managing the St. Louis Cardinals after they won the 2011 World Series, was headed to a meeting in New York to discuss baseball’s replay rules. “But I have cats that just jump up in my arms when I come home.”

He did not have to convince me. I speak cat. I know it can be can live with a cat for years, feed it, care for it, let it watch its favorite television shows, and it will still occasionally look at you like you moved into the house nine minutes ago. But this was part of the charm.

“If a cat falls in love with you, you know you have passed a sterner test,” La Russa said. cats at the moment at his home in the Bay Area, all of them rescued. Now let’s be clear: Only a handful were permanent members of the La Russa clan. The rest were foster cats, ones the La Russas were caring for temporarily until they could be placed in homes. Still, La Russa could name them, even the newcomers. It took a couple of minutes, a few pauses, but he ticked them down a lineup card. sounded as amazing as it reads.

But not as amazing as ARF’s growth. In the years since that seum, Tony and Elaine La Russa’s organization had blossomed

ladew mews — October 2013 — page three

(continued on page 4)

Ask Dr. Susan...

“Why is my cat limping?”

First and foremost, any limping kitty needs to be seen by your veterinarian.

There are many things that can cause limping, some of them serious and others that may resolve with a little rest and TLC. If your cat is indoor/outdoor, by far the most common cause of limping that I see is from an abscess. This is often caused by a bite from another animal and needs prompt medical attention before the infection becomes systemic. Of course, outdoor cats often get hit by cars, so we see limping (or worse) from those types of injuries. Your best bet is to keep your cat indoors, or in a fenced in safe area.

Some breeds, like Mr. Big (see Spotlight on Sponsorship) suffer from congenital abnormalities. One of the more common ones is an instability of the knee joint (or luxating patellas).

These are not always as severe as Mr. Big’s case. Some will have intermittent problems that they can live with while others, like Mr. Big, need surgical correction. to soft tissue injuries. Depending upon the severity, some resolve with just rest while others may need some pain medication.

In our older cats things can be more serious, such as cancer, or as simple as needing a nail trim. As our cats age and become arthritic, they may be reluctant to use the scratching sheathe is left on, the nails grow in a circular manner and can grow right through the paw pad.

Limping indicates pain, and any limping cat needs a visit to their veterinarian!

A Manager and His Cats continued from page 3

into something much broader, an organization committed not only to protecting animals but also assisting their human caregivers as well.

ARF has been placing rescue pets with senior and abused children and even veterans struggling with PTSD. “We built a double mission,” La Russa said. “People rescuing animals, animals rescuing people.”

This was a decadeslong passion.

Everyone who knew or worked with La Russa knew how important animals were to him, how dedicated he was to the cause of animal welfare.

He talked excitedly about a November ARF fundraiser in Las Vegas featuring a concert by Michael Buble.

On La Russa’s Twitter page, there was a photograph of him in a Cardinals uniform, smushing a dog and a cat against his cheeks.

I asked La Russa why he thought cats remained such a cultural phenomenon, especially on the Web, where cats and cat-related huLeague Managers) were reliable, attention-getting gold.

“I think it’s because they are so tion, and because you have to work for it,” La Russa said. “Once you get it, man, they just curl up with you.

But they retain their independence.”

It was all true. Forget baseball.

The manager knew his cats.

Write to Jason Gay at jason.gay@wsj.com

ladew mews — October 2013 — page four

Spotlight on

Dr. Mara DiGrazia steps up to the plate and hits one out of the park for Mr. Big.

SPONSORSHIP

Mr. Big (right), an Abysinnian/Bengal mix, has been on the DL (Disabled List) from a congenital condition known as luxating patellas.

Common in the Bengal breed, Mr. Big inherited this condition from his mother, Morena.

MR. BIG

“The instability, which is caused by the kneecap sliding out of place, is in both knees and has progressively gotten worse,” said Dr. Susan Whittred, Veterinarian of the Patricia H. Ladew Foundation. “We see this problem in dogs more than we see it in cats, and Mr. Big has the most severe case I have ever seen in a cat.” Whittred continued, “the only way to give Mr. Big some relief at this point, is to perform surgery in the hopes that we can stablize the kneecap and minimize any further damage.”

Not all veterinarians perform orthopedic surgery, however, upon hearing about the plight of Mr. Big, long-time supporter and friend of Dr. Whittred’s, Dr. Mara DiGrazia of New Hyde Park Animal Hospital immediately stepped up to the plate.

MR. BIG has been with us for about 1 and 1/2 years. This poor guy has trouble walking due to an instability of his knees (luxating patellas). Luckily, Dr. Mara DiGrazia (left) of New Hyde Park Animal Hospital generously

Mr. Big was admitted to New Hyde Park Animal Hospital on October 10th, and surgery was performed on the same day. Commenting on the surgery, DiGrazia agreed with Whittred, but took it one step further. It was not only the worst she had ever seen in a cat, but the worst she had ever seen in cats and dogs combined! Dr. DiGrazia is cautiously optimistic that Mr. Big will have some relief in that leg, although only time will tell, as Mr. Big is back resting with his buddies and getting lots of TLC. A BIG thank you to Dr. DiGrazia and everyone at New Hyde Park Animal Hospital!

necessary corrective surgery.

Mr. Big will have some rehabilitation time, but we hope he’ll be less wobbly! You can help Mr. home by sponsoring him.

Gift sponsorship is also available.

Dr. Mara DiGrazia and Mr. Big bonding before surgery

Click here to sponsor MR. BIG

ladew mews — October 2013 — page five

Open your home to these precious Treats!

BLONDIE

TOMMY

WILL

JAVA

MURPHY & BELLE

Read their stories on our website — theladewcatsanctuary.org Call us at (516) 922-CATS!

Our Fax # (516) 922-5203

All Ladew Rescue Kitties are spayed/neutered, have tested negative for FELV/FIV, have been dewormed, vaccinated appropriate for their age and will be microchipped.