Attention Readers!!

Old Firehouse Books is donating 10% per book to Fort Collins Cat Rescue for every preordered copy of A Dog’s Purpose by Bruce Cameron ($22.99 in Hardcover) due out in early July. Attached is some information about the book. If anyone you know may be interested in this book please send them this information.

Old Firehouse Books
232 Walnut Street
Fort Collins, CO 80524
(970)484-7898
www.oldfirehousebooks.com

New York Times Bestselling Author

W. Bruce Cameron

A DOG’S PURPOSE

A Novel for Humans

“I was seized with an inexplicable question, a question of purpose. This didn’t seem like the sort of thing a dog should think about, but I found myself returning to the issue often, usually as I was just dozing off for an irresistible nap. Why? Why was I a puppy again? Why did I harbor a nagging feeling that as a dog, there was something I was supposed to do?”

—Bailey in A Dog’s Purpose

We spend countless hours with our beloved dogs—playing with them, training them, or just hanging out with them—and we probably spend just as many hours wondering what our canine companions are thinking about. Now, New York Times bestselling author of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter which was turned into the hit ABC series (starring the late John Ritter) and award-winning humor columnist W. Bruce Cameron brings us into the minds of our furry friends with humor and warmth!

In his latest book he turns to fiction for the very first time and offers a dog’s-eye view of the world. A DOG’S PURPOSE: A Novel for Humans is the remarkable story of one endearing dog’s search for his purpose over the course of several lives and explores the universal quest for an answer to life’s most basic question: Why are we here?

Told from the charming perspective of a dog named Bailey, whose name and breed changes with each new life, A DOG’S PURPOSE will touch every person who reads it—whether they have a dog now, haven’t had one since childhood, or even if they’ve never had one at all. Cameron’s clever narrative convincingly conveys what really could be going on in a dog’s mind and his gentle wit will have readers both laughing and crying.

Early readers are raving about A DOG’S PURPOSE!

Dr. Marty Becker, resident veterinarian on Good Morning America and the Dr. Oz Show said, “Finally, a fictional dog who is a real dog! Anyone who has ever loved a dog needs to read this wise, touching, often hilarious book,” and New York Times bestselling author Iris R. Dart called it, “A beautiful, uplifting, tenderly told, frequently funny, and exquisitely moving story…I am awash in the tears of recognition every dog lover will shed when they read this remarkable book.” Even Bruce Cameron’s future mother-in-law, who is not a dog person, wrote to him after reading A DOG’S PURPOSE and told him, “Now I can see why people love these creatures so much.”

Heart-warming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, A DOG’S PURPOSE by W. Bruce Cameron is not only an emotional and hilarious telling of one dog's many lives, but also a loyal dog's-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds that hold us all together, man and man's best friend alike.

Cat People - April Edition

Leslie Quitmeyer with Sam

How long have you been volunteering for FCCR?

Right at 3 years.

What type of volunteer work do you do?

I’m on the board of directors, coordinate and participate in events and outreach, do foster care, and help with fundraising. But equally if not more important, me and a coworker set low-income people up to get their pet fixed for very cheap (thanks to PUP). Sometimes we even transport the pet and we’ve done about 110 pets so far. We can set that up for anybody.

What do you enjoy doing when you're not volunteering for FCCR?

I love dancing, cleaning actually, some sports, and Survivor. (If you watch Survivor, email me, we can talk about it).

How many cats (or other companion animals) do you have?

I have 2 8-year old kitties who have both had broken tails. Sam is featured in the picture and she fetches. Tucker is the other, and I have 2 new sweet, step-miniature pinchers.

If you could make one wish for FCCR, what would it be?

It’s hard to pick one so I could sum up wishes in merge, grow, save, expand, educate, and end over population

Children from the Lab School for Creative Learning Visit FCCR

On Thursday, March 25th FCCR had the pleasure of hosting an educational hour at the shelter for 30 students from the Lab School for Creative Learning. The kids were FANTASTIC and had a great time. They learned what our shelter was for, why animals end up in shelters, what it means to spay/neuter and why it is important, and what it means to be kind to animals.

The kids were so energized and excited to share stories about their own pets and how they have been kind to animals in the past. They were great with the kitties and got to help serve the shelter cats canned food, and also got to play with them.

Before coming to FCCR the children collected supplies like paper towels, litter, and even money to donate. They also made homemade cat toys.

Although we were initially a little nervous about having such a large group of kids in our tiny facility, things went off without a hitch. We had such a fabulous time that we are hoping that this is something we can offer to other student groups that might be interested in visiting.

We greatly appreciated the teachers, Susan & Karen, for thinking of bringing the kids to FCCR. It is so important that we educate our next generation about the pet overpopulaton problem.

Take A Chance To Win This Quilt!!!

Tickets are available for a
suggested donation of $5 each, or 6 for $25.

You can purchase them at Fort Collins Cat Rescue,

or either of the Poudre Pet & Feed Supply stores.

100% of the money goes to support the mission of
Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic.
The drawing will take place at
FCCR’s 4th Birthday Party, June 6th.

The quilt is made from a collection called," Cat's Meow"; comprised of cat words on white fabric and yellow cheese fabric with tiny mice running throughout the cheese. The large paws are appliqued on the quilt blocks using a very soft shaggy fabric called minke - much like velvet. The final border is a border fabric of leashes and tags that runs around the perimeter of the quilt. Finally, the quilt is machine quilted with a beautiful pattern using red thread. The machine stitching makes the quilt durable enough to be enjoyed and washed in a large capacity washing machine on gentle cycle. Dimensions 63.5" x 76.5"
This quilt was created and donated by Barb Lloyd.

Sad Kitty Stories, but Good News Too!

Today was a rough day for us at the shelter. We started our morning with a gentleman bringing a 6-month old kitten that he found in his window well. The sad thing is that they had been on vacation for the week before finding it, and the kitten had clearly been in the window well for several days. She is soooo skinny. She is a beautiful, short-hair, brown tabby. We have filed a found report to see if someone might be missing her.

Then this afternoon a couple came in with a tiny carrier and what appeared to be an emaciated momma cat and an emaciated kitten. The 2 kitties had wandered into their garage over the weekend. When I actually pulled the kitties out I realized they were both adult, neutered males. One of the kitties was so skinny that he weighed in at only 3 pounds!!!!!! I have never seen a cat that skinny before, that was still living. The strange thing is that these 2 cats are beautiful, pure-bred siamese kitties. There is the possibility that they are just lost, but considering the economy and the number of foreclosures in the neighborhood they were found in, it is likely they were abandoned. I guess being pure-bred doesn't help when your owners lose their home. :( Luckily our wonderful volunteer, Kaitlin Davis, offered to foster these 2 kitties. Kaitlin plans to go to vet school in the future and the care of these kitties will be good practice for her. They will need fluids at least once daily for several days, and a close eye kept on them while we try to get them back to a healthy condition.

This 1 year old kitty weighs 3 pounds.

Now the good news.....(drum roll please)........Chat Amour III raised over $38,000!!!!!!! Can you believe it? I am still trying to absorb this. That is $13,000 more than last year. It seems that our community TRULY cares about what we are doing and recognizes our dedication to these animals. Thank you community!!!!!!! Because of this support we will be able to continue our good work saving kitties like the 3 that came in today.

2 Very Special Kitties are Searching for a Forever Home!!

Sweet Violet


Handsome Henry

On Thursday, February 18th at 8:30am I received a call from one of my employees asking if I knew anything about the 2 cats left on our doorstep in humane cat traps. I told her I definitely didn't know anything abou that, and my heart sunk realizing that we had just had two more "drop offs".

The next day I went into the shelter to meet our 2 newest residents. My heart melted when I saw their sweet faces. Although they were both very frightened, they allowed me to pet them and I immediately fell in love. Although it is frustrating to have kitties abandoned on our doorstep, at least the previous owners were well intentioned enough to look for a no-kill facility. They had also put the kitties cushy beds in the traps (the traps had been taken from behind our facility) which tells me that they really did care about these kitties and probably felt they had no other option.




In the last 2 weeks the 2 kitties have blossomed, and also received names - Violet and Henry. Violet is a beautiful, long-hair, gray kitty. She is blind in both eyes, but does very well considering this handicap. She is about 8 years old and has the sweetest disposition. You really can't help but fall in love with her. Henry is a handsome, short-hair gray kitty. He is about 5 years old and is very healthy. He loves to be pet and would love to have a lap to call his own.




When the abandonment first happened, many of us were infuriated. However, a friend told us that although it hurts to have cats left like that, that really we are receiving a gift and get the opportunity to find these animals a wonderful home. She was right....Violet & Henry have been a gift. Now we just need to find that wonderful home.

Spay Day a Huge Success!!!

On Sunday, Feb. 21st, we had our official Spay Day event. Community members brought their female and/or male cats to be spayed/neutered for only $15. Every person that helped that day was a volunteer, and we were able to spay 23 female cats and neuter 32 male cats!!!

It was incredible!

Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers that helped with the event:

Dr. David Robinson

Dr. Cynthia Johnson

Dr. Gloria Matsushita

Shelly Cornutt

Cat Kuhlmann

Kristina Guldbrand

Sarah Swanty

Susan Faulkner

Nicole Kenote

Jessica Cromwell

Katy Quinn

Carey Mastriona

Jane Seik

Katy LaFary

Jean Haukaas

Mary Wolf

Tonja Musa

Also a big thanks to Carol & Len Mahoney for arranging for food

to feed all our hungry volunteers!