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NEWSLETTER OF THE PATRICIA H. LADEW CAT SANCTUARY VOLUME 5 NO. 2 SPRING 2015
PHLF website
powers up to a new look!
ADOPTAPALOOZA IS BACK!
Once again, we proudly join
the signature pet adoption extravaganza
of the Mayor’s Alliance
for NYC’s Animals held
each spring and fall.
Presented in partnership with
the Petco Foundation, this free,
public event features wonderful
cats, dogs, and rabbits for
adoption from dozens of Alliance
Participating Organizations.
Adoptapalooza also offers
advice on pet care, training, and
grooming, product giveaways,
low-cost microchipping, dog licensing,
pet photographers,dog
performances, and other fun
activities for the whole family
— two-legged and four-legged
alike. More details TBA.
Adoptapalooza
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Noon – 5:00 p.m. (rain or shine!)
Union Square Park, North Plaza
Broadway and East 17 th Street
New York, NY
P.O. BOX 307 OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK 11771 516-922-CATS
ABOUT US ADOPT/SPONSOR LADEW MEWS BLOG DONATE SANCTUARY SERVICES CAT CARE HAPPY TAILS
WELCOME
Visit us at
www.theladewcatsanctuary.org
We are pleased to welcome you to our recently powered up
website redesigned with thoughtful input and guidance from our
multi-talented staff and Dr. Susan Whittred, Director of Veterinary
Medicine!
On this more user-friendly site, in the About Us section, you
can read about our founder, Pat Ladew and the sanctuary’s history,
virtually tour the sanctuary, meet our staff and volunteers,
find out why our cats are family-ready and more!
So, jump in with all four paws and join the fun!
(continued on page 2)

ladew mews
© May 2015
The Patricia H. Ladew Foundation, Inc.
Executive Editor - Susan V. Whittred, DVM
Creative Editor - Elise Klingensmith
Sanctuary Photography - Lynn Manno
Board of Directors:
Jason Karlinsky, Esq.
Bruce E. Trauner, Esq.
Steve Blumert, Esq.
Director of Veterinary Medicine
Susan V. Whittred, DVM
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Andrea Castro
Manager — Lynn Manno
Caretaker — JoAnn Studley
Volunteers:
Peter Barone n Beatta and Jerzy Boruta
Joe Berni n Robin Fishman and Jane Totura
Laura Friedman n Lisa and Ava Hanlon
Sarah Jordan n Dawn and Krystal Mazurek
Donald Smith
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
Rescue Working At It’s Best
Chico’s Tale...
Remember: declawing does not save lives.
Chico lost his home AND his claws — he STILL
nearly lost his life.
Chico is an 11-year-old, four-paw declawed cat whose owners gave
him up because “they had no time for him.”
Dr. Susan Whittred, PHLF Director of Veterinary Medicine, said, “Chico
was slated to be euthanized at Animal Care and Control (ACC), when The
Paw Project was alerted.”
Whittred said, “The Paw Project contacted PHLF and offered a donation
to save Chico. At the time we were completely full, so we asked our friends
at The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals to step in.”
PHLF website powers up to a new look!
...continued from page 1
In the Adopt/Sponsor section, each cat has its own page where you
can view videos, find out how to adopt and/or sponsor that particular cat.
Dr. Susan will blog about topics pertaining to the sanctuary, or topics
that are new in the veterinary world of cats.
Our donate section will make it easier to donate to specific programs,
such as helping us pull more animals from NYC Animal Care and Control,
to helping us help folks who adopt cats with heart murmurs.
We hope that our new website will make it easier to see what cats we
currently have at the shelter and which cats are at our Pet Valu location,
which will be updated as fast as they are adopted.
Please visit theladewcatsanctuary.org and let us know your thoughts. If
there are ways that we can make it better, let us know that too.
We started completely fresh and did not include anything from the old
site. If there is something that you are looking for, or you are trying to link to
an old story in the Mews, please send us a note, and we can send it to you.
There was so much content over the last 12 years that we were unable to
include it all (but we still have it!)
A big thank you to Maddie’s Fund for donating the funds for us to be
able to update our website and make it mobile friendly.
ladew mews — SPRING 2015 — page two
Within hours The Mayor’s Alliance
sent The Wheels of Hope to Brooklyn’s
ACC, and Chico was saved.
Whittred explained, “The Mayor’s
Alliance, in turn, used the donation
from The Paw Project to give Chico
a full veterinary examination, including
some much needed dental work!
Chico was transferred to us, and we
are extremely happy to announce that
Chico found his forever family!

Ask Dr. Susan...
“How did my indoor cat get fleas?”
Many of my clients have asked me this very question, absolutely startled
when I find a flea on their indoor-only, apartment dwelling feline!
With the weather warming up (finally!) those pesky fleas will start rearing
their ugly heads.
My theories are one or more of the following:
• contact with other pets in the building
(through windows, if on a 1 st floor)
• one or two hitched a ride on someone else’s pet,
a friend or family member
Since a female flea lays 40 eggs per day, you can see how this could
grow into an infestation in no time! Fleas are difficult to see, because they
are small and stay very close to the surface of the skin, under the fur.
Fleas come out in the warmer months (60 to 90 degrees Farenheit) and
prefer humidity (65-85 %). Their life cycle begins as larva hatching from
eggs, which can move into carpets, cracks in wood, in soil or other organic
debris. A cocoon is produced at the end of the larval stage, and adult fleas
emerge from the cocoon when appropriate stimuli is present, such as temperature
and humidity. Fleas can remain in cocoons for as long as 140
days. Their life cycle from egg to adult flea is approximately 3-4 weeks, and
adult fleas live for about 100 days.
Fleas can also transmit disease,
such as tapeworms and bartonella
(commonly known as cat scratch
fever). Cat scratch fever is a misnomer.
The only way a cat can transmit
bartonella (cat scratch fever) is
if the cat has fleas! Severe flea infestations
can also cause anemia in
our cats, since fleas feast on blood.
In some cats, fleas can cause
hypersensitivity reactions (allergies).
Cats that have these reactions show
varying degrees of erythematous
(reddish), pruritic (itchy), papulocrustous (crusty, bumpy) miliary dermatitis
(skin infection).
Fleas generally prefer to stay on
our cats, but in a flea infestation,
they will bite humans too! Some
of my patient’s owners have complained
of bites on their ankles (because
fleas can’t jump that high!).
Prevention is the best course to
ward off a flea infestation. There
are many different products that
are offered in the marketplace. It is
really best to speak with your veterinarian
about which one might
be right for your cat to avoid this
problem. Some products, even
those available at pet stores and
supermarkets, can be harmful to
cats. Your veterinarian can select
which product might be best for
your situation. Most are once-amonth
treatments and are a lot
easier to deal with than clearing
up a flea infestation. In this case,
an ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure!
ladew mews — SPRING 2015 — page three

Sandra Atlas Bass donation
kicks off the New Hope Fund!
Animal lover, philanthrapist Sandra Atlas Bass, generously donated
funds to PHLF to rescue cats that would otherwise be overlooked.
Our first New Hope rescue is an older kitty named after our
benefactor, Atlas. When Atlas first came to us he was 4 pounds
and trying to survive this past winter, 2015.
Atlas was hospitalized at Animal Hospital of the Rockaways until
his thyroid was under control. Now at our shelter, Atlas continues
to gain weight and is happy to be warm, fed and loved. Atlas is
available for adoption. Please give New Hope to Atlas.
For more information on Atlas, visit Atlas’ page.
For an update on other Ladew Rescue Kitties helped by Sandra
Bass’ donation to the New Hope Fund, see the Bass Report on
page 5.
To donate to the New Hope Fund to allow us to rescue more
kitties, please visit our Donate page.
Spotlight on
SPONSORSHIP
Cee Cee
Happy Cat Tales
Munchkin (aka Missy)
finds another home.
Poor Munchkin hasn’t had it easy. This little girl was found in an
open carrier, at 5 a.m. one winter morning. Chrissy Simpson, manager
at New Hyde Park Animal Hospital at the time, was walking to
Dunkin’Donuts when she spotted an open carrier. She looked inside
and huddled in the back was a little black and white cat, absolutely
terrified and freezing!
Chrissy scooped her up and brought her inside. After a thorough
check, Munchkin, was put up for adoption and finally transferred
to us. Munchkin found
herself a home with a wonderful
lady named Ann. The two had
a wonderful five years together
until Ann passed away a few
months ago. With no-one to care
for Munchkin, she was returned
to us.
We are happy to announce that
Munchkin has found herself another
family and is on her way to
her new home!
Cee Cee is a wonderful
kitty whose owners left
her at Animal Care and
Control so full of fleas,
she had scratched herself
bald.
Now flea free, this sweet
girl is looking for someone
to treat her right. Cee
Cee is a wonderful kitty
who would be good in
any home.
To sponsor
Cee Cee,
click here
ladew mews — SPRING 2015 — page four

SPECAL mews Update
The Bass Report
Philanthrapist Sandra Atlas Bass’
Valentine’s Gift Helps Save 6 Death Row Cats
Just in time for Valentine’s Day 2015, philanthrapist Sandra Atlas Bass
made a generous contribution to the Patricia H. Ladew Foundation’s New
Hope Fund, recently established to raise targeted contibutions to cover expenses
of Ladew’s no-kill shelter in rescuing cats scheduled for euthanasia
in local kill shelters.
Dr. Susan Whittred, Ladew’s Director of Veterinary Medicine, explained,
“Over the years, we have developed an effective working partnership with
the Mayor’s Alliance for New York City Animals in rescuing cats, sometimes
only hours away from being put to sleep. The Alliance alerts us to these
situations in the city’s kill shelters, and we take in as many of these death
row cats as we have room to accommodate.”
The number of death row cats saved by the Ladew Cat Sanctuary has
grown rapidly in the past few years. As 2015 begins, Bass’s Valentine’s
contribution has already subsidized the rescue of 3 adult cats and 3 kittens.
“Puck was found on the streets of
Brooklyn and went to Animal Care
and Control until the Mayor’s Alliance
transferred him to us,” said Whittred.
Thanks to Sandy Bass’ generous donation,
Puck’s life has been completely
turned around. He was adopted!”
Atlas — Dr. Susan said, “Atlas is responding
well to medicine for a hyperthyroid
condition we diagnosed in his
entry examination.
Whittred said, “Atlas is like so many
of the death row cats we see. He’s such
a sweetie. It is heartbreaking to think that
he would be put to sleep without any
medical justification.”
Maggie, Winken, Blinken and Nod —
“This single mom and her three 2-weekold
kittens were at Animal Care and Control,”
said Whittred. “The Mayor’s Alliance
called us to come to their rescue and we
took them in. Soon after, Winken, Blinken
and Nod were all adopted and Maggie is
spending her days enjoying springtime in
the catio.”
Copper is a cranky old girl who, at
the moment, is not adoptable. She was
left to fend for herself, when a female
hoarder went into a nursing home. She
is doing well, and if never adopted she
will have a loving home with us,” said
Whittred.
Now there is New Hope.
Dr. Susan said, “Before now, no one
cared enough to save these precious
cats. We thank God for organizations
like the Mayor’s Alliance, and angels
like Sandy Bass.”
ladew mews — SPRING 2015 — page five

Support NYS Legislation to Ban Declawing Cats!
Hundreds of anti-declawing animal activists
lobbied in Albany to support A1297.
NYS
We call upon all NYS legislators to
PAWS
long enough to
consider the reasons to
VOTE YES
for
A1297 (Rosenthal)
Ban Cat Declawing in New York State!
Assembly member, Linda Rosenthal, a longtime
animal rights advocate, has introduced bill
A1297, which would make it illegal to declaw
cats in New York State.
The bill has backing from many shelters and
humane societies in NY (and across the country).
Veterinary hospitals across the nation (and
in Canada) are also taking it upon themselves
to stop declawing cats.
PHLF Director of Veterinary Medicine Susan
Whittred and Dr. Allan Simon of Animal Hospital
of the Rockaways, who serve as Co-directors
of the Paw Project - New York, are calling upon
cat advocates to write their state legislators to
vote yes for A1297.
For a list of veterinarians who do not declaw,
please visit www.declaw.com. For further information,
including how you can help, please
visit The Paw Project at www.pawproject.org
Declawing isn’t like
getting a manicure
or trimming your finger nails.
Declawing is amputation!
It is the equivalent of removing the
tips of your fingers down to
the first knuckle.
Help us put a stop to this
unnecessary and inhumane practice!
VOTE YES
A1297 (Rosenthal)
www.pawproject.org
Dr. Jennifer Conrad
Founder and Director, The Paw Project
310-795-6215
Dr. Allan Simon and Dr. Susan Whittred
Animal Hospital of the Rockaways
Co-directors, The Paw Project - New York
718-474-0500
ladew mews — SPRING 2015 — page six