One way we mark the seasons at the sanctuary is through the photos of longtime friend and supporter of Home for Life®, Mark Luinenburg. He was out on Halloween, and the focus was on our animals, adorned in their autumn hues, as well as our new kittens, part of our collaboration with Snaptcats.org. Below are some of our favorites, always so hard to choose, as well as the link to the album with all the photos from Mark's visit.
The scar you see- the two vertical lines on the midsection- was from surgery he had in his home country, where they removed a piece of skin to close the gunshot wound on his muzzle.
Kitten Shower
These five fall colored babies were abandoned outside in St Paul, no mother cat in sight. They were so small that we referred the finders to the orphan kitten rescue, but since they were described as eating on their own, after a fashion, the group refused them. We couldn't leave them outside in the encroaching cold, so we took them in, and they are waiting for a foster. They are very tiny and young, and are learning to eat on their own, requiring baths after most meals, and initially help with bathroom duties. Their love of KMR( kitten milk) reveals how very young they are, although they are slowly transitioning to canned and dry baby kitten food.
Home for Life® has always taken a different approach to addressing problems in animal welfare. We believe that it is impossible to benefit animals as a whole without caring about each individual animal. While we are mindful of the broad factors affecting animal populations, our focus and service have always been directed toward individual animals. And by serving individual animals, we have been able to exert widespread influence on the direction of animal welfare practice. Home for Life’s® focus on overlooked individuals has enabled us to spot gaps in the animal welfare system where cats or dogs are underserved and vulnerable, to identify where change needs to happen, and where there is opportunity for widespread improvement.
In the last year, that gap has widened to encompass many desperate cats, and even kittens who were not finding help among rescues focusing on adoption. It started this December, 2024, with two cats, Creamsicle, aka Walter, and Willow, who were trying to survive outside in the winter snow and cold, one of these with cancer. To help these desperate cats, we found two volunteer foster homes that took them in, with Home for Life® providing food and medical care. Following in their wake were several more younger adult cats in desperate conditions, unwanted, abandoned, or trying to survive outside. While many of these cats were young, they would never have a chance to find an adoptive home if they did not receive immediate care. Most of the ones who needed our help would not require a care for life sanctuary, but would never have a chance for a home at all without prompt intervention. By spring of 2025, we had created a collaboration with the Snapt Cat Rescue, which is the front-facing partner of our adoption program. With the program starting just a few months ago, we have 36 cats and kittens in foster homes and have adopted out 36 adult cats and kittens to date through a small network of volunteer foster homes we have recruited, saving many lives since the collaboration was created.
The biggest surprise has been the number of kittens who have needed our help. Kittens! They always seem to be in demand and sought after for adoption. Kittens shouldn't come to a sanctuary, some say. But desperate kittens such as these that we have saved, cared for, and restored to health won't even get a first chance if no one will help them. As we have observed, adoptable animals aren't adoptable- or like these we helped- soon wouldn't have been- because they will be dead- if no one wants them or will help them. For all we have helped, it was now or never for them. We didn't turn away, and thanks to our collaboration and dedicated fosters, these kittens will have a chance to find a loving home: maybe with you? Meet some of our kittens; if one captures your heart, visit Snaptcats.org to fill out an adoption application. We would love nothing better than to see our kittens saved from the brink of a terrible end and find their home for the holidays!
She had reportedly been screened for heartworm disease, and we were assured she was indeed negative. But when Scarlet continued to lose weight despite eating vast quantities of high-nutrient food every day, we began to suspect that the test results may have been reported incorrectly.
Home For Life® Animal Sanctuary has never had a case of heartworm, except for a dog named Sparky, who had come to us from Indiana. Like Scarlet, he had a voracious appetite and ate heartily at each meal, but no matter how much or what we fed him, he looked unthrifty and never gained weight. After worming him did nothing, a veterinarian suggested testing him for heartworm, and sure enough, he was positive. He was treated and grew to be fit and healthy with a shiny coat and lots of energy til the day he died. Scarlet reminded us of Sparky's case, so we asked that she be retested for heartworm by our veterinarian, and as with Sparky, she too was positive.
Scarlet, when admitted to Home for Life® in 2022, and in this photo, it's possible to see how frail she is, before we found out she had heartworm despite a reportedly negative test at the South Carolina shelter. She is a petite-framed dog, but even taking that fact into consideration, she is way too thin. Still look at her happy smile and prance!
Mark, taking Scarlet's "how it's going" photo, after she recovered from her heartworm infection. It's so meaningful to be able to have these photos of our precious dogs and cats, over the years, over their lifetimes with us. How wonderful for Home for Life® that Mark can document the journey of our special animals over the years, and each season at the sanctuary.
See the album here from his latest visit. Thank you Mark!