News
3/1/2022
Duette Animal Rescue Team and Best Friends Animal Society Team Up to Seek Fosters for Tiny Felines as Kitten Season Approaches
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Kitten Season is sneaking up. Each year, thousands of tiny furry feline faces arrive at our nation’s animal shelters, and community help is needed to make sure every life is saved. By fostering a kitten — or a few — folks are providing them the chance to grow up and find families of their very own. So, whether they’re looking to melt hearts on social media or simply wanting to help save lives, signing up to foster now means people, shelters and rescue groups, including the Duette Animal Rescue Team, will be ready when the fuzzballs arrive.
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Every spring, a huge wave of kittens enters shelters and rescue organizations, during a time known as “kitten season.” As the name implies, kitten season is the time of year when un-spayed female cats have most of their kittens, and generally stretches from May to November.
So Best Friends and Duette Animal Rescue Team are reaching out early this year, with a national campaign encouraging people to sign up to foster kittens, and to let everyone know their help is needed, and to recruit, educate, and train fosters prior to the start of kitten season. Visit bestfriends.org/kittens to learn more about kitten season and fostering.
​Kittens, especially newborns, require specialized and around-the-clock care to help them thrive. By asking the public to sign up to foster now, ahead of the height of kitten season, shelters and rescue organizations nationwide will have time to onboard and train new fosters, so everyone is ready when the kittens arrive. Starting early means making sure everyone is prepared so that every little life is saved.
As adorable as a wave of kittens sounds, it’s serious business. Newborn kittens are among the most at-risk animals entering shelters – proof that there really can be too much of a cute thing.
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“With kitten season right around the corner, we are asking everyone nationwide to raise their hands to help,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “Whether you’re looking to post the ultimate cute on social media, need a daily dose of fun and silliness, or simply want to save lives and provide a kitten with a happy and healthy future, you can sign up to become a foster family today.”
Contact us at info@duetteanimalrescue.org
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About the Best Friends Network
The Best Friends Network is comprised of thousands of public and private shelters, rescue groups, spay/neuter organizations, and other animal welfare organizations in all 50 states. We are a coalition committed to saving the lives of homeless cats and dogs through collaboration, information-sharing and implementation of proven lifesaving strategies. Our partners support each other and inspire their own communities to increase lifesaving of dogs and cats across the country.
2/22/2022
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Hard to believe it has only been two months since we got Tunji, who was on death's door from mange and could not even walk or open her eyes because of all the scabs on her body. Look at her now, she has been spayed, vaccinated and microchipped and is a playful cutie pie with a very unique personality. She is also really good at sitting in your lap and relaxing and giving head butts. ​
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2/19/2022
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We saw two 1-year old cats at the Hillsborough County Animal Shelter that were part of large group of cats coming from a hoarding situation that needed our help. Many please were sent out to get these two adopted but because they were stressed and scared at the shelter, they ended up on the euthanasia list. We just could not let two young cats like this face death, so we took them in. They are in a high-traffic area in a catio but with ample exposure to humans and other cats and they are settling in just fine. We have renamed Onions, Neo, just because and their stress level has gone down enough for them to move about freely and even play with their toys. ​
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02/16/2022
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We got a new affiliation we are very proud of! We are now a proud partner of the Best Friends Network. This non-profit organization strives for no more kill shelters by the year 2025. For more information visit their website at Homepage | Best Friends.
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1/17/2022
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We finally caught the mama cat and two kittens at the very dangerous large machinery junk yard in Bradenton. We waited to see if we could find her other kittens which disappeared but after several weeks, we realized that they must have perished. They are safe at our sanctuary now for rehabilitation. ​
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12/31/2021
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Reflecting on the year 2021, we were able to take in 40 cats this year. We adopted 13 animals this year too. Cats, Simon, Mars & ​Venus, Rosey, Tripp and rabbits, Faia, Mirai, Novak, Ollie and Strike all got fantastic homes this year.
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Thank you so much for all our supporters for shareing our posts on Facebook and making this happen!
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12/26/2021
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Our Christmas gift Tunji came to us today. She was rescued from a car lot covered in mange literally from head to toe. She is not even able to open her eyes due to all the crusty scabs on her face. We have immediately treated her with an injection and hope she will recover soon. ​
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12/24/2021
​We saw a message on Facebook asking for help with trapping 5 stray cats. So we went out and were able to trap 4 of the 5. The fifth one escaped us which, as it turns out was a good thing as we had no idea that there were a litter of even younger kittens still nursing. So we are going to have to take some more time to make sure no one is left behind. We left our traps with the people that asked for help and we hope we will catch the remaing family soon. These guys have a home for now and DART will be on standby if any additional help is needed. We caught all the Tuxedo cats!
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9/21/2021
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Scooter was adopted and renamed Milo by his new loving family. He is adjusting in his new home but according to his new mom a love bug and playful. ​
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9/14/2021
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Kia was adopted and renamed Audi by his new loving family. He will be totally spoiled! ​
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9/02/2021
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Today we rescued, Scooter, Brownie, Sphinx and Bella from a person that passed away and who's family put out an urgent please to find a home for them. They are Bengal mixes, some a bit shy but we were happy to give them a temporary home and then to help find new permanent homes for them.
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8/30/2021
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A lot has happened since last month, we rescued 4 more kittens from the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center. We rescued: Mars & Venus, Kia and Kai. Mars & Venus were born to a feral momma cat and 7 weeks old and need socialization. Kai is a 4 month old kitten that has a head tilt due to an unknown medical condition and is borderline feral and needs a lot of attention and gain trust of humans. Kia is 5 weeks old and a little spitfire and will be ready just as soon as he has been neutered, vaccinated and microchipped.
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Please donate towards their medical care
Every little bit helps!
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7/29/2021
In spite of us separating Theo from Mama Sofia, it appeared we were too late and 7 baby bunnies were born today. They are being fostered by one of our volunteers right now and they will all be sterilized and then we will try to find them their permanent homes so they can live their best life!
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Each sterilization will cost between $80 and $150 so if you can donate please do so below and put a comment "for bunnies". The money will go directly to this effort! Thank you in advance!
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7/23/2021
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We heard that gorgeous Noche, an adult cat was in need of help at Hillsborough County Pet Resource center and today we darted into action! Thank you so much HCPRC for allowing rescues to step in and help the animals. It is a great example how collaboration within the animal rescue world can save lives! Noche is with us now ready to get rehabilitated. He is scared, but safe with his own private large spacious suite and we hope he will settle in and learn how to trust humans again soon. Photo courtesy of Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center. We will post updates very soon.
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7/17/2021
Great news! Simon found his forever home with a loving couple and has begun his best life with his new parents. Congratulations Simon!
7/12/2021
Welcome John and Dorian! They are two male Sulcata tortoises that have been together 20 years. Sulcatas are often bought when they are little as a pet. They are the 3rd largest tortoise in the world, they can get as large as 150 lbs or more. They are great escape artists and their diet should be 90% grazing on grass. We have tried fundraising to get about $2000 to expand their temporary enclosure to at least one acre but have not received any donations and we do not ask for money from the people we take animals from as giving up an animal is usually already a tough choice their owners have to make. Will you be our hero? If you want to donate materials instead of money we would gladly take them to start construction. We need poles and cattle fencing to keep the cattle away. Then wood fencing to construct the actual tortoise habitat.
7/9/2021
We are prepping for the arrival of two Sulcata tortoises that weigh between 100-150 lbs. they really need acreage which we have but the fencing will be expensive to keep them contained and safe from our cattle. This is a temporary enclosure for them. Yes we are looking for fencing materials !! If you can donate it we will take it!! Please spread the word! We would love to give them at least 1 acre each!
6/29/2021
Meet Mama Sofia and Theodore rescued today. A very nice lady rescued these from a not so good situation and asked for our help so we “darted” into action. They are young angora rabbits that have some growing to do. They are mother and son. We have some vet visits in the near future for a health check and spay/neuter before they are ready for adoption. If interested please let us know for a pre-application. Thank you Nina for getting the initial grooming done and getting additional grooming done in next few days!!
4/27/2021
Update on Simon: He has already tested negative for any diseases and parasites. He is a large 12 lb cat, beautiful! He is being neutered, vaccinated and microchipped next week. We ask for a donation to our rescue for an adoption fee. Please private message us if you are interested. This cat is a gorgeous Tuxedo cat and estimated at a little over one year old by vet. This cat does not get along with other cats. He may calm down after neutering in that regard but no guarantee. So one cat household is best in our opinion.
4/21/2021
Update on Oreo: He had surgery yesterday and got neutered. He tested negative for any disease but is being treated for whipworms. His neuter was a bit more traumatizing as he suffered from a condition called crypto-orchid. In a normal male cat, the testicles begin to migrate from the abdomen to the scrotum. In Oreos case, this did not happen, it is very rare in cats, and one of his testicles remained in his abdomen. So now he has to wear a collar for 7 days and he is having a tough time. Because of the more involved surgery his recovery will take a bit longer. This condition, when not corrected can lead to cancer later in life, so we are glad we took care of it while he is young. He is now vaccinated and microchipped too so he will be ready for adoption soon.
4/10/2021
We want to thank our anonymous donor again for sending us the gift of play!! These puzzles are not only great for our cats but will enrich the life of our lemurs as well!!!
3/31/2021
Welcome Simon the cat. Simon also showed up at a car lot in the same neighborhood as Oreo full of stray and feral cats. Apparently he also decided that that life was not for him. So we are taking him in and getting him health checked, neutered, vaccinated and microchip in the hopes of getting him adopted into his forever home.
3/20/2021
Welcome Oreo the cat. Oreo showed up at a car lot in a neighborhood full of stray and feral cats. Apparently he decided that life was not for him. So we are taking him in and getting him health checked, neutered, vaccinated and microchip in the hopes of getting him adopted into his forever home.
2/1/2021
Meet Rudy, our new resident. Rudy lost his three brothers and then his human mommy as she also passed away. A lot to take in for a geriatric cat that is 14 years old and a little bit shy. His home was finally sold and his mommy’s very nice family members could not keep him as they were highly allergic. So we decided to provide him a home at our sanctuary. He willl be allowed to stay here forever unless he finds a perfect home elsewhere. He would be good by himself getting lots of belly rubs and attention and he loves any human. He is front declawed. If you are interested please message us. For now we will let Rudy acclimate and process all the huge changes in his life. Welcome Rudy.
1/22/2021
Thank you Theresa, Lynde and Jen for building some amazing climbing structures, planting bushes and trees and finalizing construction of our lemur enclosures! Thanks to you the lemurs have an amazing home with lots of enrichment ! You girls rock!!!!!
1/11/2021
In collaboration with the Endangered Primate Foundation, we are happy to welcome Lulu, MoMo and Sourpatch to the DART family of animals. These three ring-tailed lemurs were rescued out of the pet trade and needed a new home to make room for other lemurs that are waiting for a home coming out of the pet-trade. Our mission is to collaborate with other sanctuaries and assist those private pet-owners that are in need of assistance to place animals they can no longer care for and provide them with their best home for life. We will post more information about our new arrivals very soon.
12/7/2020
A big shout out to the crew of the Lemur Conservation Foundation that volunteered their time to help us with finishing up our lemur enclosures. Thank you Caitlin, Evan, John, Lauren, Shannon, Sierra and Jill for your awesomeness and being such great partners. We are honored that you volunteered your time and grateful for this opportunity for collaboration!
Please check out the Lemur Conservation Foundation and their great work here: https://www.facebook.com/LemurConservation
10/12/2020
After we spotted a feral cat on our property a few weeks ago, we decided to put a trap down to see if we can capture the cat and get it spayed/neutered and vaccinated and maybe even give it a good home. We have many large predators in our area and just the other day we saw a giant Red Hawk at our pond for which a small cat is a good meal. The same night we set the trap we found this large male cat in the trap. Not the cat we expected at all as the other one is black. This cat also seemed feral at first and had no microchip and was not neutered. After one day of acclimation, Damien as we now call him turned out to be a lovable cat that is eager to be on your lap and get your attention. Since he was so friendly, we put out bulletins everywhere to see if he belongs to someone but have not received any inquiries so far. So we already gave him the vaccinations he needs and the next step will be a neuter and then we will most likely offer him up for adoption. Although thin now, he is a big cat and already weighed in at 12.5 pounds. So he is a lot of loving cat for someone. Will post updates again soon.
7/31/2020
We are happy to announce that we have received our official approval for our 501c3 status in order to receive tax deductible donations from the general public. We will have additional updates soon on how you can help us with our mission. In addition, we have made some major progress on clearing some areas for our lemur habitat to be constructed and will have an update on additional progress very soon. In the meantime, we are happy to report that Milo was adopted by the family that found him on the streets and is living happily ever after.
5/8/2020
We have named our first rescue cat Milo and want to give a quick update. He is doing much better, all his scabs have slowly but surely come off and he is healing phsyically and mentally at our ranch house. He is using his litter box and purring up a storm. he loves to sit on laps and loves to crawl into bed with our volunteers and spend the night. He gets along well with our resident dog also and is quite the character. As you can see from the photos, he is making great progress.He is not quite ready for adoption yet but if you are interested in adopting him, please contact us through our "Stay in Touch" page for more information.
4/29/2020
On April 25th, 2020 we got a call from one of our friends that an extremely sick stray cat was in the neighborhood. They were able to catch it and we immediately "darted" into action. We treated it immediately by giving it a flea bath, removing all fleas and giving treatment for flea prevention, mites and worms. then we made a trip to the veterinarian to confirm that the animal had a severe case of mange/scabies. In addition, this kitty is FIV positive, so a special needs home is required with either other FIV positive cats or a home with no other cats. FIV is only contagious through bites between cats but it does mean he needs special care with a compromised immune system the rest of his life. Incidentally, he was already neutered but no clipped ear and he is super friendly which leads us to believe he belonged to someone but there was no microchip. We are nursing him back to health and will assess his eligibility for adoption soon and give everyone an update. Here are the before pictures, this is an example of why cats should not be left outdoors. He is in the process of losing all the scabs and some of hair right now and gaining weight.
4/01/2020
Duette Animal Rescue Team just acquired our 18-acre property. The property will house several animal care facilities very soon, including hurricane proof buildings with running water and electric. Our other goal is to be a green sanctuary (and we don't mean just the grass) by utilizing solar energy throughout our facilities at all times.
