Rescued, My Favorite Breed

By Christa Stout

LOST CAT

Paradise Found!

My shelter visit took me to Eden Animal Haven (EAH) in Brighton, Mo., just a few miles North of Springfield. The first thing I noticed when I drove up to the shelter was a car with a personalized tag on it: “Be Kind” and I thought WOW I am in the right place. The shelter is surrounded by wonderful trees and is a very calming environment. It certainly shows the best of the Ozarks.

Eden Animal Haven opens its heart wide for stray cats

Then I met Leslie, who is such a compassionate and caring person, I can understand why she left a well-paying job in Chicago and moved with her husband to this area and with the help of a local partner who also loved animals, started Eden Animal Haven.

Leslie recounted some of the early years, including the times they had to lug water to the first shelter, a barn without electricity, where the cats lived. However, since then, thanks to the hard work of the founders and volunteers, some name recognition and Facebook postings, they were able to build a sanctuary with rooms for specific reasons, i.e. FEVL cats, kittens, injured cats, etc. Leslie still works and between that and the shelter, has a very busy schedule. EAH is a shelter for cats only because Leslie realized early on the need for a cat sanctuary in southwest Missouri. She told me that cats are euthanized at the rate of 4 to 1 compared to dogs, which is a sad statistic. Of course this is due to the overpopulation of cats in our area. Eden’s goal is to create a safe haven for cats in need, to promote feline health and provide spay/neuter clinics.

EDEN ANIMAL HAVEN Here is how you can contact and/or donate: Facebook.com/EdenAnimalHaven | EdenAnimalHaven.org

REMINDER: Many of us animal lovers post opportunities to attend spay/neuter clinics as well as shot clinics on Facebook. Please avail yourself of these low cost opportunities to have a healthy pet. Also, don’t forget to apply flea and tick medicine if your pet spends time outside. NOTE: cat flea and tick medicine is dangerous to dogs and dog medicine is dangerous to cats, so please get the correct type.

Eden currently houses 80 cats and has another 60 cats in foster homes. The staff, consisting of two full-time employees, and all of the volunteers make a point to know the personalities of each of the cats in order to be able to match an adopting family with the right cat. The sanctuary takes in about 350 cats a year and has a 99 percent adoption rate. All adoptable cats are fully vetted and are spayed/neutered. The sanctuary has six small rooms, one for adults that may not get along with other cats, one room for kittens, one for special-diet cats and also a senior room. All cats are categorized by age and temperament. There is also a room for FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus) cats. Leslie pointed out that FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) cats do not need to be separated because it is very hard for other cats to catch the virus. Almost 100 percent of the cases are passed through deep wound bites. FeLV cats are kept separately because the virus, although not long lived outside the body, can be transmitted easier and is one of the major causes of death in cats. There are also a number of larger rooms with access to the outside, so-called catios, where the outside enclosure consists of two different sets of screens, to make sure the cats cannot get out but have the outdoors to enjoy and the indoors to sleep. Most of the resident adult cats live in these rooms with catios. (See floor plan for more detail) Eden is also involved in TNR (trap/ neuter and release) and was recently contacted about a hoarding situation. They were told there would be 20 to 30 cats, but it ended up there were 55 cats and 19 of these were FeLV cats. However, they found homes for all but two and those remained for the rest of their lives.

Most of the feral cats when they first arrive cannot easily be approached. However, a week in the shelter makes all the difference, and thanks to all the attention they are getting, they are willing to be played with. All volunteers are encouraged to touch and pet all of the cats when they go by their kennel or room to get them socialized. One of their hopes for the future is to build a feral cat shelter and to start a barn program. Not all cats are meant for indoor life and are very happy living in the country in a barn, where they have access to food and shelter, but have the outdoors to roam and play. Of course, these cats would also be spayed or neutered. Like all shelters, Eden depends on donations and volunteers to operate. Their current wish list contains Purina One Dry Adult and Kitten Foode, Canned Kitten Food Okocat Original Cat Litter, and of course monetary donations. Fosters and Volunteers are very much appreciated. n

COWBOY came to Eden very skinny, but the sweetest boy ever. He normally sits on the highest place he can find, and when you walk up to him, he leans over and hugs you. He loves attention, loves to be petted but isn’t pushy at all. He is such a laid back and calm cat, he would fit into any home. He is also very kind to other cats and kittens he meets and seems to be ok with dogs. He would be a fantastic buddy for a disabled cat or dog! He is definitely a favorite at Eden and quickly became my favorite also. Of course, the hugs helped!

CHURCH is a 3- to 4-year-old orange tabby that was found as a stray living in a storm drain. He had a huge mass hanging from him. EAH immediately got him to the vet where they removed a large tumor attached to his abdominal skin. Poor guy must have been so uncomfortable since that must have been growing on him for quite some time. He was very malnourished and dehydrated, but is making a good recovery and will be available for adoption soon!