In 2003, we started to informally help out our vet's office by fostering adult cats, adopting special needs cats, and raising orphaned kittens which we then rehomed. We enjoyed the "work" so much that we decided we wanted to expand and make a real, permanent commitment to helping pets in the Las Vegas area. Thus, in 2005 "Wee Paws Animal Sanctuary" was born, and was registered as an official nonprofit corporation with the Secretary of State of Nevada. We funded 95% of Wee Paws expenses from our own pockets, but also had a wonderful group of friends and strangers who made donations of money, food, and time to assist us. Because of the support we received, locally and via the Internet, we continued to take in cats as we felt we had room and the ability to care for them. We decided we would take in the ones with few chances elsewhere -- the cats who were 10+ years old, the cats with chronic health issues, cats which needed surgery, feral cats who needed to be relocated indoors, etc. We adopted out as many animals as we could, but also offered the cats we took in a permanent, forever home if it was needed. We now have cats with terminal illness, cats with IBD, cats with kidney problems, cats who are so feral that we can't touch them, etc. We love them all. We also care permanently for four elderly dogs with health problems (pannus, thyroid problems, recurring orthopedic issues, blindness, allergies), and a number of parrots whose owners found them too much to handle. Our home is exactly the way we want it -- clean, happy, and full of life and love.
Unfortunately, things change in the blink of an eye. My partner needed back surgery in 2006, and even with health insurance, we were hit with tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills. We refinanced our home to pay off those bills when the collection agencies started to call, and that's when things slowly started to fall apart. Our new mortgage payment was so high that we slaved constantly to try to make ends meet. We both developed additional health problems, incurring hundreds of dollars per month in prescription expenses. We kept working and kept Wee Paws alive, knowing it was the one thing in the world which mattered most to each of us. By the time August 2007 rolled around, we received a foreclosure notice. We went to our mortgage company to ask for a modification of our terms, given that our home value had dropped by one-third since the refinance. The mortgage company responded by raising our mortgage (they added all our missed payments to the principal, plus all the penalties), and they raised our interest rate, thus raising our payment above and beyond the one we already couldn't pay. We were told we had to accept that agreement or our house would be up for auction the following week, so of course we accepted. We figured we'd work even harder than we ever had, and we'd cut out all "extras" -- no eating out, no going to movies, no cable TV, etc. Our universal reward was that in late May 2008 I lost my job, and about a week later, my partner lost hers. We are now both unemployed, and we've missed a mortgage payment (it's about $3400 per month, although our house is only worth $200,000). Because we've already gone through the foreclosure process and the mortgage company has given us a "modification", we have a new deadline. We can apply for bankruptcy, and that will give us a window of 8 weeks in which we need to find a new place to live with our 30+ animals. With both of us unemployed, and with no money in savings, we can't buy another house -- the best we can hope for is to find an understanding person who will perhaps rent us a house. Worst cast scenario is that we pack everyone up and drive to a midwestern state where homes cost $75,000, but we'd be leaving our families, and we'd still have no guarantee of finding a rental property for Wee Paws. We couldn't afford to take anything with us but the animals, because we can't afford a moving van, and we're too physically disabled to move our belongings ourselves.
Our one, long-odds chance to stay in our home is to see if the mortgage company would allow something called a "short sale", where the house would be sold at its current market value to me. I'm not on the current mortgage, so I'm technically nothing more than a boarder at this address. This idea has its problems -- we don't know if the mortgage company will accept a short sale, being the first. Secondly, I'm unemployed. Thirdly, I have no down-payment, and I think most banks want around 20% now. I think I might be able to overcome a lot of these problems with ingenuity, luck, and "a little help from my friends". I'd especially like to talk to a realtor and/or mortgage broker about the Las Vegas lending situation. Also, I need a job, ASAP. My leads have turned up dry. I've worked in media, marketing, PR, computer and Internet technology, and of course with animals. I also have an excellent knowledge of sports cards, of all things -- Upper Deck, can you please look at the applications I've sent? If you know of any solid job leads (even though you don't know my exact qualifications), please send them my way!
Not surprisingly, we'd be
happy to accept any cash donations you'd like to make. Also, food
donations for cats, dogs, and parrots are very welcome. We currently
feed the parrots Harrison's coarse pellets, the cats eat Wild Kitty raw dry
mix (I add my own raw, ground, bone-in chicken), and the dogs eat Canidae
Platinum or Solid Gold Holistique, as well as Honest Kitchen. We've
found that an excellent diet cuts down on the vet bills substantially.
Any food donations are happily accepted, so it doesn't need to be those
products specifically. Donations of toys for cats, dogs, and parrots
would also be great. If you'd like to contribute to our vet bills
(they're inevitable with so many special needs animals), you can donate
money specifically to the account of "Wee Paws Animal Sanctuary" at Creature
Comforts Animal Hospital on Ann Rd. at 95. If you want to make a
drop-off of food, or want me to make a pick-up, email
me and we'll arrange it at your convenience.
If you can donate any KMR
powder (or tinned liquid), it will help me care for more orphaned kittens.
It costs about $100 to raise each orphaned kitten from day 1 until they're 8
weeks old and ready to be adopted, and KMR is the biggest part of that expense.
I've been trying to raise funds by selling on eBay, and what I've been selling are sports cards. Do you have any sports cards (baseball, football, basketball, hockey) that you wouldn't miss, and that you'd be willing to donate? I'm trying to focus on cards from pre-1980, but will take what I'm offered! Email me about this and I can arrange pickup. Also, please shop at our eBay store if you're looking for anything from vintage baseball cards to pet supplies -- I'll come back and post a store link in a day or two.
We started Wee Paws to help the community and to help the animals. I want to guarantee the safety of the animals who are already with us, and I do guarantee that they will stay with us even if we're forced to leave this house. That's why I don't want to take in any more animals right now and complicate the logistics. It's just not responsible. However, I'm still happy to offer a courtesy listing for your adoptable animal (email me for details), and I'm happy to provide counseling if your pet is having a behavioral problem. Issues like not using the litterbox can be frustrating, but they can also be fixed in 99% of cases. Just remember that the problem didn't start overnight, so we probably can't fix it overnight! I'm happy to just listen to your problems, if nothing else. I'll also try to foster as many orphaned kittens as possible, and will continue to foster animals injured and rehabbing while they wait to be adopted. I'm not just sitting on my butt, here... I need to keep busy or all I'll do is worry!
If you have a healthy animal you wish to place, use this cool Flyer Designer to advertise your pet (use a GREAT photo and spend time writing your descriptive text), and then print out multiple copies of the flyer to post around town. Most vet's offices have a bulletin board for just that purpose. You can also post your adoptable pet on PetFinder Classifieds. As I mentioned earlier, I may be able to offer your pet a courtesy listing on Petfinder if you continue to foster it (and if you screen potential adopters), but you have to do your part as well. Every shelter in town is overflowing with animals now because of the foreclosure crisis, and adoptions are traditionally low during summer months, so taking your pet to a place like Lied or Animal Control is more or less a death sentence. I'm sorry to be harsh, but that is the reality. Now is NOT the time to give up your cat because "it sheds too much", or because someone has a mild allergy, or because of your landlord. There are many apartments in town which allow all sorts of pets, even large dogs, so consider moving to a new apartment rather than getting rid of your pet. Yes, it's an inconvenience, but you'll also be saving a life.
I want to come back in a month or two and announce that Wee Paws is open for intakes again. That would make me so very happy. Please cross your fingers for us, and thank you, everyone, for what you've already done. Starting Wee Paws was the best decision I've ever made, and I'll definitely be fighting to save the things (and beings!) that I love so much.
If possible, please contact us VIA EMAIL.
We tend to work peculiar hours and are often out of phone contact, but are
almost never out of email contact. You'll receive a faster reply to your
query if you send email!
We require adopters to fill out the adoption contract, below. Our main concern is that adoptive families know that any pet they adopt from us can be returned to us at any point in the future, for any reason, no questions asked. We want to ensure that the companion animals we raise have happy and safe homes for the rest of their lives, and we're happy to take them back to care if any problems arise. We also request that all cats adopted from us be INDOOR ONLY.
