CHARLEMAGNE

CRASH's LANDING and BIG SID's SANCTUARY are proud to announce this one-of-a-kind initiative, FOREVER FOSTER-A-FELEUK-KITTY! Our goal is placing our FABULOUS positive cats into permanent (or as we like to say, purrmanent) homes, and at the same time alleviating potential financial strain for prospective owners. These cats are just as deserving, if not more, of all that a home life entails, and we are making it our goal to promote their value and worth at a time when too many virally infected cats never get the opportunity to make it to shelters like ours. Here are the basics: 1. Any interested person will have to fill out our adoption application and be approved by our Adoption Team; once approved, an appointment will be set up to come meet our residents. 2. Once a connection has been made and hearts stolen, the adoption process will get underway. The adopter/foster will be responsible for the $100 adoption fee. Crash's Landing will be responsible for a thorough pre-placement medical workup by founder Dr. Jen Gillum at Feline Wellness Center (FWC). This will include lab work, radiographs, preventative flea treatment and internal parasite control, and vaccinations, if due. 3. Routine medical care will be the responsibility of the owner, with mandatory annual exams and vaccines in most cases. 4. All life-long medical costs that are non-routine, including annual lab work, radiographs, dentistry, medical treatments, and medications dispensed (other than monthly flea control) will be covered by Crash's Landing, with the caveat that ALL care is continued by Dr. Jen at FWC. As you can see, there are many benefits to this program: ~ It is not only financially feasible for the human participants, but it gives these amazing cats a chance at a home life that they are missing with us. Sure, our rescue facility is top notch, but it isn't a cozy, quiet home - and it must be shared with many others vying for attention. ~Furthermore, placing one of our residents into a home allows us to take another off the streets, which is imperative as we work locally to get the spread of this virus under control. ~Finally, this takes the potential financial burden out of the equation, and with that comes the peace of mind in knowing you can take your cat somewhere where he/she is known, inside-out and backwards, and receive the high quality, in-depth care recommended, without having to make decisions based on monetary constraints. ~Anyone who knows Dr. Jen understands how deeply she is committed to the care and well-being of our special FELV+ kitties. It isn't their fault they ended up with the virus, that is purely due to human negligence. Although we can’t change the past, we can ensure that their future is bright and beautiful! Be assured she will spare no expense in diagnosing and treating any of our FELV+ kitties - past, present, and future. It's kind of her thing – just ask her soulmate, Magda? So, this is our pioneer program in a nutshell. We hope the pictures of our residents and their stories will tug on your heartstrings, and prompt you to open your home to one of our beloved cats. Now, it's time to read about Charlemagne... Whenever I am gifted with an email correspondence like the following, I like to include it in my biography, as I like to have the rescuer’s POV front and center: “Greetings! First, if I had room to keep this handsome and friendly fellow, I would keep him - however, I am at my cat limit (8 cats, all rescues) and just don’t have the room, nor the resources to add to my cat family. He had been visiting our outdoor cat feeding station but was terrified of us, or any movement noted through the house windows, until about 2 weeks ago - I think he sensed bad weather coming. He got quite friendly, and we finally coaxed him in a few days before the snow and intense cold hit. We intend to neuter him - but we simply cannot keep him, and he’s too nice to release outside. Please consider taking in this deserving and handsome boy and giving him a chance at a loving, forever home. I’ve heard so much about you and your work for years during my 16 years with CHFA as a veterinary assistant and manager of their adoption program—your work is phenomenal! Even if you are unable to fit this handsome boy in, Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary remain at the top of my rescue lists. Thank you so much! “ As this time, we had secured Tamara’s big boy a place at Big Sid’s, we just needed a bit of time before we could make that happen: “Hi Dr. Jen, well, the good news is this guy is now neutered. The bad news is his snap test showed he is positive for both FIV and FeLv! Plus, he has roundworms which we are treating him for with Profender. Fortunately, his heartworm test came back negative. I don’t know if you might have a place for him (we call him Charlemagne) at Sid’s? FYI he loves belly rubs (!) and attention, and is very sweet natured. Thank you for anything you can do for this darling fellow. As requested, I’ve attached the results for Charlemagne. He looks great. For a cat who seems to have a huge number of issues he looks healthy. His space is limited in our house, so he’s not very active but he loves his birdie windows, and he is always up for a cuddle.: So, we set up a pre-intake visit for Tamara and her husband so that they could rest assured that when Charlemagne did enter our free-roaming facility and adoption program, that they were comfortable with his new surroundings: “It was absolutely incredible! Light, airy, roomy, uncrowded, spotlessly clean - and the frosting on the cake was seeing the surprise and happiness on my husband’s face! Robin was so informative and obviously loves her job - and I love how thorough the record keeping is. We both want the best possible situation for Charlemagne and Crash’s/Sid’s met and exceeded our expectations. He will be safe and once acclimated, will need the love and attention that your incredible staff can give (head scratches and belly rubs are favorites!). He will really appreciate the windows for bird watching! You have a real jewel in Robin, I’m sure you know. I felt immediately comfortable, and it seemed I had known her for years. Her attention to detail and obvious love for the kitties couldn’t be more apparent. The real plus though was seeing the anxiety disappear from Steve’s face; he and Charlemagne have bonded, and it is going to be a tough parting for us, but seeing Charlemagne’s wonderful new digs, and the great new family he will have with your team makes it so much easier.” On March 12th, 2023, the emperor himself finally was able to grace us with his presence, and although he ricocheted out of his carrier in surprise, he settled in quietly overnight and was accepting those sought after head rubs and chin scratched the very next morning. I wanted to perform lab work and take x-rays, as is part of my normal intake protocol, so I sedated him for the procedures and noted that he has sticky, crusty debris at the base of his left ear, which is supportive of a middle ear infection. A surgical flush was performed to remove the fluid secondary to infection present, and he recovered without issue. Our shelter director notes that Charlemagne is still quite shy and loves to watch the world from way up on the air vents. "I spent quite a bit of time with him while he was in the cage acclimating, and I can honesty say that he does not have one mean bone in his big fuzzy body.  He LOVES to have his chin and head scratched,  he doesn't mind being combed, and enjoys people.  He may take a little longer than others to warm up to living inside with several other cats, but I feel he will be comfortable and confident in no time."