Finding Fur-ever with Purrs and Whiskers
The Oneida County-based foster rescue is helping cats and kittens across the Mohawk Valley find safety, love and forever homes.
When I recently welcomed Deanne Balutis of Purrs and Whiskers to MVL TV for our first Finding Fur-ever segment, I thought we were going to introduce viewers to a few adorable kittens looking for homes. And we did.
But we also talked about something much bigger: the need for cat rescue across Oneida County and the Mohawk Valley, the importance of foster families, and the life-saving work happening through Purrs and Whiskers.
Purrs and Whiskers is a nonprofit cat and kitten rescue serving Oneida County and surrounding communities across the Mohawk Valley. Their mission is simple, but the work is anything but: rescuing cats and kittens in need, providing care and veterinary attention, and helping them find loving forever homes.
Across the Mohawk Valley, cats and kittens come into rescue from all kinds of situations. Some are strays. Some are surrendered. Some are born outside. Some are sick, injured or simply unwanted. Many are tiny kittens who need warmth, food, medical care and patient hands before they are ready to be adopted.
The rescue is foster-based, which means cats and kittens are cared for in homes, not in a traditional shelter building. That gives animals a chance to feel safe and learn what home feels like. Foster homes help kittens get used to routines, people, other cats, dogs and other animals. They help shy cats come out of their shells, give nursing moms a quiet place to raise their babies, and offer cats time and consistency while they wait for the right family.
The number of animals Purrs and Whiskers can save depends directly on the number of people willing to help. More fosters mean more space. More donations mean more vet visits, food, litter, medicine and more cats who can say yes to a new beginning. More adopters mean more happy endings, and more room for the next cat waiting to be rescued.
Adoption through Purrs and Whiskers is thoughtful. Families interested in adopting can view available cats and kittens, complete an application and go through the rescue’s process so the right match can be made.
For those who cannot adopt, fostering is one of the most powerful ways to help. Purrs and Whiskers provides support and supplies; foster families provide love, patience and a safe space. Sometimes fostering means caring for kittens until adoption. Sometimes it means giving an adult cat a quiet place to decompress. Sometimes it means helping a cat adjust to dogs, children, doorbells, vacuum cleaners and everyday home life.
Donations are also essential. Monetary donations help cover veterinary care, spay/neuter, testing, vaccines, food, litter, medicine and everyday supplies. The rescue also maintains wishlists for people who want to send needed items directly.
The need is real. But so is the difference this community can make.
How to Help Purrs and Whiskers
Adopt: View cats and kittens and complete an adoption application through purrsandwhiskerscny.org or Purrs and Whiskers’ Petfinder page.
Join Their Facebook Group: Follow Purrs and Whiskers for rescue updates, adoption posts, foster needs, fundraisers and cats and kittens looking for homes.
Foster: Open your home temporarily to a cat or kitten.
Donate: Help cover veterinary care, food, litter, medicine and supplies. QR code here.
Send Supplies: Visit the Purrs and Whiskers website for wishlist information. QR code here.
Support Their Recycling Efforts: They accept returnable bottles and cans, empty aluminum cans, electric cords and car batteries to help raise funds.
About Purrs and Whiskers
Purrs and Whiskers Inc. is a 501(c)(3), registered with New York Ag and Markets, rescue that embraces a foster-based approach. Purrs and Whiskers follows National Kitten Coalition standards to meet the needs of each cat and kitten that enters the rescue. Purrs and Whiskers also participates in humane TNR through Operation Catsnip.
