The Rest of the Story

- Tweet0
- 0
- Pin It 0
- 0
- Subscribe to RSS
Subscribe

Subject: The Rest of the Story

View online

Newsletter

July 2026

Our Newsletter is Best Viewed in Landscape Orientation on Mobile Devices

(Turn Your Phone Sideways!)

In This Edition:

Beaker Epilogue
Babies & Cats
Check Your Calendar - the Calendar Contest Returns!
B-i-n-g-o was a ~~Dog~~ Cat!

Beaker

The Rest of the Story!

That sick, tiny kitten in the photo has quite a story, and it's one that we told - in part - in our year-end mailing last December. You can read the expanded digital version of that letter here: LETTER

People of a certain age will remember radio personality Paul Harvey, who had a feature where he would tell the story of someone who had a hard start in life, overcome difficult obstacles, usually revealing in a second part (after the commercial!) that this person was someone famous. Paul would then announce - "And now, you know the rest of the story!" With deference to Paul, this is the story of of a certain gravely ill young kitten named Beaker.

No one really thought that Beaker would live. Found in a pile of trash outside an abandoned house, the vet who called FFGW volunteers during an adoption event knew that only immediate around the clock feeding and care could give the tiny life a chance, and the urgency of the situation was clear to the volunteers when the vet left her practice to drive the kitten to us.

But perhaps... no one told little Beaker he had little chance of growing big. Fed from a syringe because he was too weak to nurse from a bottle, he began to grow... and to grow...

...and to make friends!

Now healthy, Beaker then moved from the foster who bottle fed him to a new foster who had other cats his age. But his story was far from complete, for Beaker still needed a home, and his friendly nature was working against him, for he made a new friend - a sleek black cat named Harbour, in his new foster home. Beaker and Harbour became so bonded that it was soon clear that they could not be separated, and would need a home together. And so, little Beaker, who had overcome such odds, now had an additional disadvantage. Black cats have a somewhat harder time finding homes. Bonded pairs of cats have a somewhat harder time finding homes. And Beaker, who had started life with the odds stacked against him, now found he was two strikes down in the game.

We'll return, after this message. (Here comes the commercial!)

Rescuing a cat, especially one as ill as Beaker, takes a village. From dedicated fosters, who will say "yes, I'll syringe feed a kitten around the clock" to donors who give generously so that necessary medical care can always be provided, to volunteers who give up their time and gasoline to get cats from here to there, volunteers who socialize scared cats at the adoption center, volunteers who open their homes to wayward kitties and volunteers who staff adoption events,

we couldn't do it without you, and we truly thank you. Kitten season is still in full swing, and we hope that you will consider a donation of time or funds so that we can keep saying "yes" to little lives like Beaker.

Volunteer

Donate

Beaker was no stranger to overcoming odds, though, and it was almost as if he willed into existance the perfect home, in the form of Sara and Brian, whose adoption application made the volunteers sit down and read it twice, because it said, "I'm looking for a bonded pair of friendly young short haired cats. I'd like one of them to be black, because it's my understanding it's harder for black cats to get adopted."

Of course, Beaker and Harbour went home!

And now, you know the rest of the story...

(Except for the pictures!)

Sara and Brian tell us, "They love to play with the laser and bird-on-wand and are happy to cuddle up on the couch together and with us. They are good boys!!"

Kittens, Cats, Babies & Children

With temps in the triple digits, we don't have to convince you that it's summer. Summer means

kitten season, as more kittens are born in April and May than any other months of the year, and those kittens reach adoptable age in the summer.

Perhaps surprisingly, a study by the University of Munich and the Max Planck Institute found that human births also have some seasonal variation,

with births in the U.S. peaking around June. And so, families are setting up the nursery, gathering baby clothes, attending birthing classes... and taking their previous "baby", the family cat, and dropping her off at the shelter where, as she competes with the flood of cute kittens, she faces almost certain euthanasia. Allergies, fear of hurting the baby - the reasons are many. But... there is really little reason to give up Tabby, with appropriate precautions. Indeed, the Purina Pet Experts tell us that children who grow up around cats can experience positive effects that last into adulthood, effects such as enhanced social skills, a sense of responsibility, and psychological benefits including an increased sense of empathy: PURINA

Achoo! What's the best thing to do to prevent your child from being allergic to cats? Would you believe... get a cat? Click the link to read more:

Babies & Allergies

While enlightened people know that the old wives tale of cats smothering a baby because its mouth smelled like milk is just that - an old wives tale - the tale is alive, well, believed and sadly still repeated by many people even today. With proper supervision, and appropriate alternatives, this old tale is more myth than fact: Cats in the Crib

Other families-to-be fear a cat scratching their baby, or feel that they will no longer have any time to pay attention to their cat. The article above provides guidance as well on introductions and navigation of other issues when a baby is introduced to resident kitties.

Still others are told by misinformed doctors that their cats represent a health hazard to their pregnancy - but that is not true, as pregnant women are more likely to contract toxoplasmosis from undercooked meat, than from a cat:

A Sane Discussion of Toxoplasmosis

The same simple precautions that should be used when introducing a new cat to existing cats - should be used when introducing a cat to a new baby. After all - you wouldn't leave your big dog alone unsupervised with Junior, would you? Yet, no one ever says "what are you going to do about your dog" when finding out that you're pregnant - but it's all too common a question about cats. And so, sadly, the surrogate baby, the cat that has enjoyed love and a good life for many years, suddenly finds itself no longer young, at the shelter competing for attention with the kittens and inching ever closer to death with each passing day.

Berta says, "I love my brother very much, and I protect and take good care of him. I'm very glad we get along, because I would hate for my mom to have to return him...

BINGO Tuesday July 21!

Click below for details!

Back - the Ever-Popular Calendar Contest for 2027 Calendars!

A shot at your cat becoming a celebrity!his year’s contest will run again during the August - September timeframe. You enter the contest by submitting a photograph of your cat with a $10 donation. Votes are $1/vote and you can vote as many times as

Start taking pictures now so you have the perfect picture to enter! Your photos should be high resolution (at least 300 dpi) and in landscape format to display best in the calendar.

The top vote getter will win the coveted cover photo for the 2027 calendar! Shout out to Snorri for last year’s cover photo. The 2nd - 13th place winners will have their feline featured as Cat of the Month. You will also have the option to reserve calendar days and feature your kitty on a particular date block.

Contest rules, Reserve a Day, Pre-order calendars, all the details can be found here:

CALENDER CONTEST

Another VERY Special

Adoption Event!

The anonymous (and much beloved!) benefactors who have been sponsoring our adoption fees the past few months are continuing to help overlooked adult cats during kitten season!

Thanks to their generosity, adoption fees for cats over 1 year old adopted at one of our adoption events are waived!

You must adopt in the center, at the event, and your adoption fee will be $ZERO for cats 1 year old and up! As always, FFGW covers spaying/neutering, vaccines, vet exam, and microchip.

In addition, all adoptive families of any cat at an event will receive

a $50 PetSmart gift card!

We are extremely grateful for this fabulous opportunity

which we hope will help lots of cats find love!

Join us at Just Cats, 2 - 4 p.m., July 25 for this special event!

I Feel Like Something Chewy!

Actually, not that chewy, but "Chewy"!

www.chewy.com is a pet product company specializing in home delivery of all things pet-related.

FFGW has a "wish list" which you can find here:

Chewy Wish List

Any products you select from our wish list will be delivered directly to us for use at our adoption center at Just Cats Boarding Center and by our fosters!

Thanks to everyone who has donated food, treats, litter, beds, toys... Chewy's platform doesn't allow us to see the names of our generous donors, but please know that your support is very much appreciated! And if you drop us a line and let us know when you donate something, we'll be more than happy to send our thanks!

This post contains affilliate links. FFGW may be compensated if you buy something after clicking on these links.

Adoption Fairs

Just Cats Boarding Center

1601 North Washington Plaza

(Lake Anne) Reston

2 - 4 pm

Next Events:

Saturday, July 25

Saturday, August 22

Saturday September 26

Join the Caretaker Crew at Just Cats

Help socialize FFGW kitties at the center!