March 2025

Inside this issue:

• Meet Pokey - the kitten found in a garbage can whose luck turned 180 degrees!
• Come to our Nautical Theme Cat Blanket Workshop
• Advances in Feline Medicine - Exciting News for Cats with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
• You Say Goodbye and I Say Hello -- meet the newbie Ladewbies and see who found homes
• Become a Monthly Donor and help Ladewbies all year long
• Join The Ladew Alumni Group on Facebook

Meet Pokey -- The Kitten Found in a Garbage Can!

Pokey was found, with a fractured pelvis, in a garbage can in Manhattan by a sanitation worker who, in turn,  brought her to the police station.  

The officers at the station brought her to Animal Care Centers (ACC) in Manhattan and a plea was sent out by ACC for immediate veterinary help. 

Pokey, who just happens to be one of the sweetest kitties (with the loudest purr) we have ever laid eyes and ears on, arrived at the Ladew Cat Sanctuary earlier in the month.  We sent the radiographs that were taken at ACC to the Animal Surgical Center (ASC) for consultation on whether she needed surgery or cage rest.

The surgeons at ASC recommended cage rest and we are happy to say that so far she has healed well.  She may need surgery down the road but we are taking it one day at a time.

Pokey's radiographs before (left) and after (right)  a month of cage rest. 

What's even better is former Ladew adopters and supporters, Benjamin and Jim, applied to adopt her as soon as they heard about her.  They had just lost their Ladewbie, Fiona, and were looking for a buddy for their cat, Flynn.

We are not only grateful for both the sanitation worker who found her and the police officers that brought her to safety (and continues to call to check up on her!), but thrilled that Pokey (now Phoebe) has a beautiful, pampered life to look forward to.  

Happie Tails Phoebe!

Benjamin, Phoebe and Jim

Attend our Nautical Theme Cat Blanket Workshop! 

Hope you can join us at Hive Market in Oyster Bay to support the kitties  for a "no sew" fleece blanket workshop with a nautical theme!  Blankets are roughly 3' x 3' and can be taken home for your furry friends to enjoy or donated to the sanctuary.

We will also be making catnip toys using scraps from the blankets -- both are a huge hit with our feline friends!

Come and meet fellow cat people, learn about the sanctuary and maybe pop by the sanctuary for a tour afterwards - it's right around the corner from the Hive Market!  See you there!! 

Click on the button for info and tickets!

Advances in Feline Medicine for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Berry has early signs of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

The most common heart disease in our feline patients is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.  Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a pathological process in which the muscle of the left ventricle of the heart enlarges.  Sometimes this change is detected when your veterinarian listens to your cat's heart.  A murmur, (the sound that is heard by a back flow of blood into the heart chamber) can be detected in some cats, but others will have no murmur or symptoms at all.   In fact, according to Dr. Phillip R. Fox, veterinary cardiologist at the Animal Medical Center, 10-30% of healthy, normal cats will present with a heart murmur.  

New advances in detecting heart disease in cats include a test called a NT-proBNP which can detect stretch on the heart muscle itself.  An abnormal test requires follow up with an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) but if negative, it is unlikely that heart disease is present.

Until now, veterinarians have had no drug to help cats fight hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but research led by Dr. Joshua Stern, NCStateVetMed associate dean of research, has shown that a form of the drug rapamycin can reverse the underlying pathology of this devastating disease.  This novel therapy is pending conditional approval from the FDA while a final pivotal study continues.  Find out more about it here >>

Until it's available on the market, you can still help cats with heart disease by donating to our Have-A-Heart Fund which provides echocardiograms to Ladewbies adopted (and those that haven't found homes yet) with pre-existing heart disease.  

You Say Goodbye and I Say Hello!

February's Newbie Ladewbies 

In February, we said hello to Periwinkle, Yodel, Panda and Pokey.  

Periwinkle and Yodel are both 8 years old and were given up by their owners who could no longer take care of them.  Both are healthy but are awaiting dental surgery before adoption. 

Panda is a super sweet girl that was rescued from the streets.  Panda has cerebellar hypoplasia.  Cerebellar hypoplasia is a non--progressive condition that happens in the womb to an unvaccinated queen.  In other words, Panda's mom caught the feline panleukopenia virus when she was pregnant and the virus altered the development of the part of the brain known as the cerebellum of the kittens in the womb.  

Panda gets around great and really has no issues other than walking a little funny. 

Pokey (see story above!) has had a pending adoption since she came in and is part of our Happie Tails of the month!

Happie Tails* 

The lucky 13 that were adopted in February are . . . (from left to right):  Marshmallow, Krispy Kreme and Cocoa Puff, Cheerio and Froot Loop, Lindy, Pumpkin, Lucky Charms and Honey Bunch, Zeus, Miss Yvonne and Lady (and of course Pokey above).

*Fun Fact:  Pat Ladew's middle name was Happie!

Become a Monthly Donor!

Greygory

Life gets busy!  Become a Monthly Donor and help us help cats until they find their forever homes.

Greygory was living outdoors in the freezing cold this winter -- we trapped him, neutered him and found him to be one of the sweetest boys on the planet.  Greygory is FIV positive but with good care can live as long as a non-FIV cat.  FIV cats can safely live alongside non-FIV cats as the disease is transmitted through deep bites and Greygory is a lover, not a fighter!

Help cats like Greygory by becoming a monthly donor!

Join the Ladew Alumni Group on Facebook!

Former Ladewbie Polly has joined the group!

As part of our 50th Anniversary celebration, we are pleased to introduce the Ladew Alumni Facebook group! A place for adopters to chat about their Ladewbies, meet one another, share stories about The Ladew Cat Sanctuary...or even about our founder, Patricia Ladew! It is a "closed group" meaning ONLY people who have adopted, worked, or volunteered at Ladew will be accepted to join. We hope to see you online very soon!