CRASH's LANDING
Saving our little corner of the world...one cat at a time.
~ WHO WE ARE ~
CRASH's LANDING is a NON-PROFIT, no-kill Cat Rescue & Placement Center. As we are owned and operated by a veterinarian, all cats in our care have received the best medical/preventative care possible while at our facilites. We are staffed by diligent, hard-working, cat-loving, non-paid volunteers who do this simply becasue they love our feline friends. Without their tireless efforts, CRASH's LANDING would not exist!
Since we opened October 21st ,2002, we have taken in 2029 unwanted/abandoned/neglected kitties and have successfully placed 1498 - not so bad I'd say! We have a limited capacity (currently we have 129 cats living at Crash's Landing and 77 at our Feline Leukemia/FIV Sanctuary) but we are doing our part to brighten our little corner of the world and rescue who we can! As of June 2006, we have revamped our mission statement: We are dedicating ourselves to taking homeless, abandoned, neglected ADULT cats off the streets, and placing them into loving, permanent homes. Although we love the kittens, we have decided to make adult cat rescue and placement our primary goal, so therefore we will only accept cats above 6 months of age into our program. Also, please realize that our mission is to take homeless cats off the streets of Greater Grand Rapids. Therefore, we have to limit our intake to STRAY cats ONLY, and are not able to take in owned cats for any reason. We sincerely wish we had the ways and means to 'do it all', but we cannot, so we have to focus on those cats that are most in need: stranded, abandoned, abused, injured and neglected. There are far too many of these cats in our area.
Special Kitties with Special Needs!
Our Feline Leukemia and FIV kitties at BIG SID's SANCTUARY
~ OUR FOUNDING FELINE ~
Early one cold and dark October morning in 1999, a good samaritan brought to me a tiny 8 week old, 2lb. kitten. The poor thing had been hit by a car and mangled, left on the side of a busy road to fend for himself. I named him "Crash". The little fella was in shock and unable to move except to lift his head and purr, which he did the entire ride out to Clyde Park Veterinary Clinic (hence his middle name "Purr-do".
Initally, his future looked pretty bleak, as he had suffered fractures in three of his legs, a shattered foot and a broken tail. But, because of his own strength and determination, and the devotion of a dedicated group of people, he pulled through the crisis. And, not only did he make it through many surgeries to mend his bones and amputate his tail, but he was up and running on all fours again miraculously within a few short weeks. I am proud to say he hasn't stopped running since!
Crash Purr-do made his way into many hearts and into my home. It is because of him , and others like him that CRASH's LANDING exists.
~ ADOPTING A FRIEND ~
Here is how our process works:
ADOPTIONS: If you see a pet you are interested in please email the following information to Crashcat@sbcglobal.net: Name/address/phone number. Ages of people in household. Current pets or pets you have had within the past 5 years, Veterinarian's name and number that you currently use or plan on using in the future. If you rent, include landlords name and telephone number, and please list 3 personal references. THANKS SO MUCH!!**
Once this information has been forwarded to me AND veterinary/personal references have been checked THEN we can set up a time to meet the cat you are interested in. If you have owned/own a pet you will need to provide us with the name of your veterinarian and a medical history of your pet (past or present). Personal references will be required if you have no veterinary history. We consider this to be one of our primary concerns, as it is of the utmost importance that the cats we place will continue to be provided with veterinary care throughout the duration of their lives with their new owners.
ADOPTION FEES:
SPONSORSHIP:
If you can't adopt, but want to help, here is how:
Simply find a CRASH-CAT that tickles your fancy and pledge to sponsor him/her for only 20.00 per/month. Contact us via email with your choice, and we can even set up a time for you to come meet your lucky kitty!
~ Come Visit Us! ~ Contact us at Crashcat@sbcglobal.net for our location in Grand Rapids and to set up an appointment to visit with one (or more) of our wonderful cats! Our hours are by appointment only. THANK YOU for taking the time to find out about us and what we have to offer! ~ Learn more about FIV - FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS~
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) FIV stands for "feline immunodeficiency virus," just as HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. In fact, these two viruses are closely related and much of the general information that has become common knowledge for HIV also holds true for FIV. FIV is a virus that causes AIDS in cats; however, there is a long asymptomatic period before AIDS occurs and the goal is to prolong this asymptomatic period. Humans cannot be infected with FIV; FIV is a cats-only infection. If you are like most of the cat-owning community, you may have a vague familiarity with the FIV virus but are unclear on the details. You may not even be sure about the difference between the FIV virus and the FeLV virus, and you rely on your veterinarian to tell you what you need to know.
Fortunately, for most cat owners the FIV virus has been an academic matter. A new kitten receives a screening test around age 6 months. Cats are often re-tested when they are ill, but since most of our feline patients live their entire lives indoors, the FIV virus is not of much concern.
For outdoor cats, it is a whole other story. The FIV virus is spread by bite wounds between cats. Adult cats, rather than kittens, are at risk.
FIV, like HIV, can live in its host's body for years before leading to a life-threatening AIDS situation. Ultimately, FIV is suppressive to the immune system and the average life expectancy from the time of diagnosis is 5 years.
How Did My Cat Get Infected?** The major route of virus transmission is by the deep bite wounds that occur during fighting. There are other means of spreading the virus but they are less common. Mother cats cannot readily infect their kittens (except in the initial stages of infection). FIV can be transmitted sexually and via improperly screened blood transfusions. Casual contact such as sharing food bowls or snuggling is very unlikely to be associated with transmission.
Isolation of an FIV+ cat is not necessary in a stable household unless the FIV+ cat is likely to fight with the other residents.
~ Learn more about FELINE LEUKEMIA VIRUS ~
Feline leukemia is a cancerous disease caused by feline leukemia virus (FeLV). FeLV causes diseases other than leukemia including immunodeficiency and additional cancers. Cats may not start to show signs of disease for months or years after being infected with FeLV. Infection with FeLV is a major cause of illness and death in domestic cats.
What are the characteristics of feline leukemia virus? FeLV is a type of virus called a retrovirus. That puts it in the same family as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, the virus that causes AIDS). Retroviruses are species-specific. This means a feline retrovirus will only infect cats; a human retrovirus will only infect humans.
How common is FeLV infection? It is estimated that 2-3% of healthy cats are infected with FeLV. Approximately ¼ to ½ of the healthy cats living in infected multi-cat households and catteries are infected.
How is the FeLV transmitted? Large amounts of FeLV are excreted in the saliva. Therefore, the most common mode of transmission is through nose-to-nose contact, mutual grooming, and shared food and water bowls. Bites are a very efficient way to transmit FeLV. FeLV can also be found in lesser amounts in tears, urine, and feces. Thus litter boxes could be a source of infection in multi-cat households or catteries. FeLV can also be transmitted across the placenta (in utero) and through the milk. It takes large amounts of virus to infect an adult cat, so usually prolonged contact is necessary for transmission.
What happens to a cat after being exposed to FeLV? If the cat becomes infected from the exposure, 2-4 weeks later, in the acute stage of infection, large numbers of the virus can be found in the bloodstream (viremia). Cats in the acute phase usually do not show signs of disease. If they do, the signs are usually mild fever, slight lethargy, and swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy). When an adult cat is exposed to FeLV, four things can happen:
1. Approximately 30% of adult cats will not be infected due to inadequate exposure.
2. 30-35% of adult cats have a transient infection; over the course of 6 months or so, the cats will eventually kill all of the virus.
3. 5-10% of adult cats will develop latent infections; these cats will not be able to kill all the virus, but will be able to hold it in check. This is called a latent infection. These cats usually show no signs of infection and usually do not shed virus in their saliva or other body secretions. Queens, however, may still pass the virus in utero or through the milk.
4. 30% of adult cats will become persistently infected; these cats will not develop an adequate immune response and will remain permanently infected with FeLV. These are the cats who will become ill and die of FeLV-related diseases, usually within 2-3 years of infection. These cats will shed large amounts of virus in their saliva.
How is infection with FeLV treated? FeLV-infected cats can sometimes live for years. Stress and exposure to ill animals should be avoided. FeLV-positive cats should be kept indoors both to protect them from exposure to disease and also to prevent them from spreading FeLV to other cats.
Limiting Exposure: As mentioned above, FeLV vaccines do not produce 100% protection. It is essential that the risk of exposure of a FeLV-negative cat to a potentially FeLV-positive cat be minimized. In single cat households this is best accomplished by keeping the cat indoors.**
