ladew mews

ladew
mews
NEWSLETTER OF THE PATRICIA H. LADEW CAT SANCTUARY VOLUME 4 NO. 5 AUTUMN 2014
Giving Thanks
for a
Banner Year at
PHLF
Call us at
(516) 922-CATS!
Our Fax # (516) 922-5203
Visit us at
theladewcatsanctuary.org
or
www.facebook.com/
theladewcatsanctuary
Why Do Black Cats
Get such a Bad Rap
on Hall ween?
Fitty Cent (right), our full on rapper,
black cat — who loves his bling—
is still looking for a forever home!
You can read his story in Spotlight
on Sponsorship on page 5.
Black cats actually get a bad rap
year’round and are hard to get adopted.
Ever wonder why black cats
are associated with Halloween? We
had to delve deep into the origins of
Halloween to find the answer!
Halloween means All Hallows Eve, because it’s the night before All Hallows
Day, also known as All Saint’s Day. In Scotland, evening is pronounced
e’en which, when paired with Hallow, sounds like Hallow e’en or
the common Halloween. It seems Halloween stems from the ancient Celts
of the British Isles (Ireland, Scotland and Wales are mostly of Celtic origin),
who celebrated a religious festival on October 31 st .
According to Celtic belief, on October 31 st , the wall between the physical
world and the spirit world was lowered which allowed spirits to return, so
people in those times, wore costumes to protect their true identity from the
spirits and to scare the spirits away.
Black cats became associated with Halloween, because cats are nocturnal
and, particularly true of black cats, at night you only see the glow
of their yellow or green eyes. Because of this, they seemed to be a perfect
match for a somewhat scary night-time holiday.
Black cats have also had the unfortunate connection to superstition as
well as their supposed association with witches where this belief, in midevil
times, led people to even kill black cats.
So, why is the black cat associated with Halloween? We now know that
due to false beliefs stemming back to ancient times and the color of their
fur and eyes, the black cat became the unforunate victim of circumstance!
Happy Halloween from all of us at PHLF — black cats and otherwise!

ladew mews
© AUTUMN 2014
The Patricia H. Ladew Foundation, Inc.
Executive Editor - Susan V. Whittred, DVM
Creative Editor - Elise Klingensmith
Sanctuary Photography - Lynn Manno
Board of Directors:
Elliot L Hoffman, Esq.
Bruce E. Trauner, Esq.
Steve Blumert, Esq.
Jason Karlinsky, Esq.
Director of Veterinary Medicine
Susan V. Whittred, DVM
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Andrea Castro
Manager — Lynn Manno
Caretaker — JoAnn Studley
Volunteers:
Tatum Christiansen (and Insperity)
Beata Boruta
Robin Fishman
Jane Totura
Call us at (516) 922-CATS!
Our fax # is (516) 922-5203.
Visit us at:
theladewcatsanctuary.org
Send us your mews!
The Ladew Cat Sanctuary family
is always on the alert for updates
and happy, interesting, or
just plain amusing cat tales
about our former residents.
Please email to:
Dr. Susan Whittred, DVM
info@theladewcatsanctuary.org
A Happy Cat Tale
From Minka
Hey gang,
Here I am, in my new forever home, on my soft loveseat, surrounded by orchids
instead of clanging cages with barking dogs. I can’t wait to spend my first
Thanksgiving in my new home! How did I get so lucky? Well, I’ll tell you.
I wound up at a city shelter when my family had to bring me, because the
landlord wouldn’t allow pets anymore. So a couple of weeks ago, they took me
to an adoption event called Adoptapalooza, where somebody from that shelter
asked Dr. Susan Whittred to take me with her to the best cage-free cat sanctuary
in the world. They cleaned me up and treated me like a princess. What
a place!!! The first night Dr. Whittred called my new mom, Elise, and told her all
about me. (Dr. Susan knew she couldn’t resist my chocolate brown fur and sweet
disposition. Mom calls me her cherie chocolate. That’s French, I think.)
After a week of check ups and paper work, my new mom was driving home
from Oyster Bay to Belle Harbor. Too bad nobody remembered to tell mom I get
car sick — it didn’t take long for her to figure that out on her own! It was on that
car ride that I learned how much my new mom must love me.
Anymeow, I’m just 2 years old, and in my second home, but I know this one
is for keeps. I also have a new dad who serves breakfast most mornings, lots
of new friends and 2 floors to choose from. There must be 20 pretty cat beds to
try, but I think I like the pillows next to my mom the best. I also like to keep her
company when she’s cooking or working at the computer for the ladew mews.
Maybe I’ll get some real roasted
turkey this Thanksgiving. I just
hope mom doesn’t expect me to
go on any more car rides. Maybe
Dr. Susan will make house calls for
me.
I just wanted to share my good
mews with you. I promise to keep
you posted.
Love,
Minka Klingensmith
ladew mews — AUTUMN 2014 — page two

Giving
Thanks
for all of the adopters and sponsors who help us help cats from ACC!
Update on Candy:
When Candy (formerly Kosia) was at Animal Care and Control,
a plea was sent out for a rescue group to take her. Newborns
are at high risk of infectious disease and a crowded shelter is
less than an ideal environment for them. Candy was also semiferal/feral
and as a result, was terrified and swatting at everyone
in site. When ACC gets cats like this, they send out a message
to New Hope Partners (approved rescues) to help. We had room
at the time and offered space to Candy and her 5 newborns.
Konnie, Kasey, Kane, Kam and Kyle
After a few days, Candy began to relax, and all she had to concentrate
on was taking care of her kittens.
Her kittens have all been adopted, but Candy is still not trusting of the human race. She is a beautiful cat
who has lots of cat friends and lives in one of our cage-free cat rooms. Candy has the freedom to enjoy the
rustic run whenever she wants or to cuddle up on a comfy bed or one of the wall nooks.
If you would like to help us help the cats from ACC, any donation helps.
Update on Charlene:
To help Candy
click here
Charlene and her newborns, Kiwi and
Strawberry, were another family that needed
to be rescued from Animal Care and
Control. It didn’t take Charlene long to relax
and trust us. She’s as sweet as her two kittens!
Unfortunately, the three of them were
diagnosed with ringworm and are nearly
finished with their treatment. As soon as
we get the “all clear,” they will be ready to
Charlene
Kiwi and Strawberry
go to new homes.
A big thank you to everyone who has helped us with their care. Folks from all over the United States
and as far reaching as Italy have really stepped up to the plate! Thank you to all of you!
If you would like to donate to the care of Charlene, Kiwi and Strawberry, any dollar amount helps!
Thanks again!!!!
To help Charlene
click here
ladew mews — AUTUMN 2014 — page three

Giving
Thanks
to all of the adopters and
volunteers who helped
make 2014
a record year
for adoptions!
Adoptapalooza:
A HUGE success!
Adoptapalooza, The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s
Animals’ signature pet adoption extravaganza,
was a huge success! We would like to welcome
all the new Ladew family members and take this opportunity
to give thanks to all the wonderful people
who have opened up their hearts and homes to our
precious Ladew kitties!
The day was beautiful and the turnout couldn’t have been better. 10 of our cats and kittens found their
forever homes! Of course the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC Animal’s didn’t let us go home empty-handed and
managed to transfer three more cats to us before we left — AND THEY FOUND HOMES TOO!!!
Early in the day, Pillows for
Paws (photo right), stopped by
and donated hand-made quilt
bedding for our kitties. This
incredible group is a 100%
volunteer run group of animal
lovers. The group donates enrichment
items, including their
handmade beds and toys to
the abandoned, abused and
homeless cats, dogs and rab- The day didn’t go without
bits living at NYC shelters. Thank you to Pillows for Paws!!!
This event would not be possible without our incredible team of
volunteers — a huge round of applause to all of you!!! We have had
reports from all of our new families and everyone is doing well! You
can’t ask for any better than that. And the winners are . . . See our
new Ladew Family Members on page 6.
ladew mews — AUTUMN 2014 — page four
some drama — one of North
Shore Animal League’s cats
escaped it’s cage and some
quick-thinking rescue folks
managed to trap him under
a box. Ladew’s Dr. Susan
and Manager, Lynn Manno,
raced to the rescue and the
kitty was safely back in his
carrier in no time.

Ask Dr. Susan...
“How can I keep
my cat safe on
Haloween?”
Spotlight on
SPONSORSHIP
Halloween is a time which may unfortunately bring out the worst in
celebrants. False superstitions are often used as excuses for mistreatment
and/or abuse of neighborhood animals, especially cats,
and particularly black cats. It is up to those of us who care deeply about
our felines to make a special effort to look out for them on Halloween.
For safety’s sake, try to observe the following:
Keep your cats indoors.
Make sure your indoor kitties don’t slip out when trick or
treaters are at the door. If you are opening your door for trick
or treaters, it might be wise to keep your cat(s) in a closed
room so they can’t get out through the open door.
Keep candies, especially chocolates out of reach. Even
foil and plastic wrappers pose a threat to our curious kitties
who could ingest them by carrying them in their mouths
while batting them around the house.
Be vigilant! If you see something, say something. Our cats
depend on us!
Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!
2015 Ladew Cat Calendar!
The 2015 Ladew Cat Calendar is nearly finished
and will be shipping mid-November. All proceeds go
to the care of the cats and kittens at the Patricia H.
Ladew Foundation.
Get your Ladew Cat Sanctuary
2015 Calendar in time for the holidays.
Give a great gift for Christmas or Hanukkah,
while supporting our precious Ladew Rescue Kitties.
Click here.
FITTY CENT
Sponsor a Black Cat
for Halloween
Fitty Cent, a sleek, beautiful
bombay, prefers to stay close
to home on Halloween and
every day for that matter! Dr.
Susan Whittred said, “He first
came to us with urinary tract
problems. His owners didn’t
think they could take care of
him and brought him to the
vet’s office to be euthanized.
The vet instead arranged for
Fitty to come to the sanctuary.
We love the big guy, and
he seems happy with us.” You
can help us take care of Fitty
(and keep him in the bling
he insists on wearing) until
he finds his forever home by
sponsoring him.
You can also visit our blog
and see who else is looking
for sponsorship (or homes!).
Gift sponsorship is also available.
To sponsor
Fitty Cent
click here
ladew mews — AUTUMN 2014 — page five

Giving
Thanks
to all of our new
Ladew
Family Members
...continued from page 4
Adoptapalooza was truly a
gift that keeps on giving.
Thank you to all of our
new Ladew Family Members,
who opened the hearts and
their homes to these precious
rescue kitties.
ladew mews — AUTUMN 2014 — page six