IN West County Summer 2014 | Page 27

v Sometimes, disease is the least of their worries when it comes to saving cats. Phoenix’s story is just one of the heartbreaking stories that Orphan Angels sees all too often. Phoenix came to the shelter half frozen, blind and very sick. After several weeks of foster care and the cat not seeming to recover, doctors discovered that Phoenix had a liver shunt, a condition where blood is diverted away from the liver, leading to a buildup of toxins in the body. To keep Phoenix alive, he needs a regimen of four medications a month and a special diet, all of which is extremely expensive. Orphan Angels founded “The Phoenix Fund” to help keep Phoenix’s needs met. While Phoenix’s story is more extreme than most, most times, once cats are in Orphan Angels’ care, they’re in the lap of luxury, waiting until they find their forever home. “They do their thing until they make a bond with a potential adopter,” Bayer said. “Adopters are asked a series of questions. If they rent, we talk to their landlords to make sure cats are welcome in the building. Once everything is good to go, each cat is delivered to the home by staff or volunteers.” The adoption fee of $70 covers all vaccinations, a subcutaneous microchip and spaying/neutering of the cat. Efforts to get the cats into loving homes are nonstop, with Bayer making the “We’d love to have some experienced grant writers on board as volunteers, but we’re also appreciative of any volunteer that’s willing to help us out in any way.” rounds on local radio stations, helping to organize adoption events and fundraisers, and by keeping the shelter’s social media Facebook and Twitter streams current with new arrivals and successful adoptions. Despite all the effort and hard work the volunteers put into the organization, there’s always a need for more volunteers, Bayer said, especially people who have grant writing experience. “We’d love to have some experienced grant writers on board as volunteers,” she said. “But we’re also appreciative of any volunteer that’s willing to help us out in any way.” Some of those ways may be simply donating items to the shelter that are in constant need, like scoopable cat litter. The shelter also accepts canned cat food donations of Friskies or Fancy Feast cat foods. The shelter also accepts donations for its rummage sale, which helps raise funds for the cats. For more information on Orphan Angels, including a listing of all the cats available for adoption, please go to orphanangels.org online. For the most recent events supporting the shelter, go to the Facebook page: Facebook.com/ Orphanangels. ■ West County | Summer 2014 | icmags.com 25