Welcome new additions to PAWS...

There have been some recent kitty additions to PAWS that I'd like to write about tonight:

Vine (mentioned in my last post and in left pic above) is an adorable, petite kitty who loves the company of people. Kevin and I are just getting to know her so we can't speak too much about her personality but plan to give you more details as we do (unless she gets adopted really quickly which would not be a surprise).

Her brother Raisin (in right pic) is a little more reserved and less confident, but very nice and people-oriented. Although his personality isn't as outgoing as Vine's, he does share the same body type.

It would be awesome for this pair if someone was looking to adopt two kitties instead of one. Maintenance for two cats is not all that much more than one and it's nice for kitties to have companionship ... it helps keep them stimulated so that they don't get too bored when not in the company of their owners/family members.

Until next time...Thanks!

Like he knew what he was talking about...

A funny thing happened to Kevin and me today. We were sitting in a restaurant and wouldn't you know we were sitting right next to a family of "cat experts." Well ... at least the younger man in the group thought he was an expert. We couldn't help but overhear his monologue about how cats are very independent and do only what they want to do and how they don't like attention, etc. After this family left, I mentioned how great it would be if tonight's posting was about dispelling folks' misconceptions of cats. So, here it goes ... time to dispel myth #1.

Myth #1: Cats are aloof
Fact: Although there are a small percentage of cats that are aloof, our experiences at the shelter (and, combined, we've been volunteering for over 16 years) have proved otherwise. When we enter each room, 99.9% of the cats can't wait to interact. The other .1% are mostly asleep...(:

I've attached two photos of cats at the shelter who love loving (and laps):
Ilona (top photo) is such a cute kitty who loves a good lap. Once I let her out of her cage, and I sit down, she comes over and jumps on my lap.

Vine (bottom photo) is fairly new to PAWS but is warming up very quickly to her surroundings. She jumps on the couch next to me and wants me to cradle and pet her.

Some thing most folks who aren't as familiar with cats don't know is that cats give clues (like dogs) that indicate when they're happy to see you (come up to you excitedly or rub their faces against the cages). When they want you to pet them (rub up against you or their tails twitch). When they're mad or anxious (tail swishes side to side). Insecure (often fold their legs under their bodies). You just have to be receptive and responsive to the cues they're sending. One thing I'd like to stress is that they can often be subtle with some of these cues so it's important to watch their behavior carefully. It's often difficult to pick up on when they're not feeling well so it's important to make a mental note of their routines. If there's a break their routine (i.e. eliminating outside the litterbox, etc.,) that's often a sign that their surroundings may have been disturbed (such as new furniture, a new person or animal in the household) or they may not be feeling well.

Until tomorrow night...(:

Update on Truffle and Bijoux...

Kev and I just discovered that Truffle likes to lick our hands and Bijoux likes to lick our noses...They're so adorable!

Sunday Was a Fun Day...

Kev and I just got back to the shelter and thought we share our notes and photos on 3 kitties at PAWS:

Prince and Truffle: These kitties came to the shelter together and are hanging out in one of the PAWS offices. Having been put on diet food, they're slimming down quite nicely.

PAWS is doing its part to maintain healthy weights for its animals and that makes me very happy as I can't stress the importance of keeping the weight of pets in control. Heavy pets are predisposed to diabetes and it can be a very difficult disease to manage.

Prince (top left photo) is a handsome gray tabby who is a little shy but really nice and he's regularly building up his confidence. He likes a good 'back of the neck' scratching, will rub his head against your hands and comes to you when you call him. And he loves a nice quiet spot!

Truffle (top right photo), on the other hand, is a very confident and spunky little girl. She runs up to greet you when you come into the room and is very curious as to what you may be doing while in the room with both her and Prince.

Murphy (bottom photo) is such a regal looking cat who has long black fur, brown eyes and a mane like a lion. He likes to chill (especially in the sun) and enjoys a snack of food kibbles given to him by hand.

That's it for now...Ciao!

Another great night...

Got to the shelter tonight and found a couple of kitties re-located to other rooms, to accommodate a bunch of new arrivals.

King (1st pic), a beautiful and really easygoing black and long-haired kitty is now in the staff kitchen. He and his roommate, Murphy seemed to be getting along well in there. When he lays on the ground his back legs spread out like a frog. And he likes to lay on the couch with us and get brushed (good thing because of his gorgeous fur)!

Snowball (2nd pic), who used to room with King, is an adorable all-white, short-haired cat who is very mellow. Small in size, she prefers to hang out in the cat tree where she feels most comfortable. She's gentle and likes to be hand-fed. And she has a cute, little round face (see picture). It's amazing to think that Snowball was a stray for 8 years before she came to PAWS!

Abigail (last pic), a very gentle lapcat, is such a sweetheart! As soon as we let this beautiful girl out of her cage, she hops right up on my lap and wants loving! Kevin and I aren't sure what kind of cat she is but she's gorgeous and super soft! She would be perfect in a quiet home where her owner was around often.

Kevin and I are looking forward to volunteering tomorrow night...It's amazing how much we get from it.

A Great Weekend...

How great it was to come back to the shelter after taking time off to entertain relatives from out of town during the Holidays. Upon returning, my husband Kevin and I discovered that there were many really good adoptions, including:

Mia - a super sweet and adorable attention hog who loved to be held and often drooled from excitement by the attention she received. Her "call for loving" and playful nature will happily be missed.

Kyle - a sweet and gentle big boy who came into the shelter with his "kids". He was a great dad who entered the shelter shy and scared, and walked out a more confident and happy cat.

Even with the many recent adoptions, there's always a strong desire to adopt out as many as we can - safely.

Today, Kevin and I particularly enjoyed hanging out with Dexter, Bijoux and Misty.

Dexter (top left photo) is such a gentle soul who loves a good lap. When you're petting him, the tip of his little pink tongue sticks out of his mouth. He gets along with any of the cats we put in his room and he loves "Cat TV", particularly the Cardinals and Squirrels...(:

Bijoux (top right photo), an adorable torti, is a vibrant little lady who rolls around when she has company and twitches her tail when she wants to be pet. When I sit straight-legged on the floor, her little body jumps over my legs again and again and again. Also a huge fan of "Cat TV", her favorite segment is the one where the gerbils are running around...(:

Lastly, Misty (bottom photo) is an easygoing tuxedo cat who loves people as well as a feathery snakelike toy. Her favorite piece of furniture in the playroom is a huge foam filled "bean bag" looking chair. Walk by her room and you're almost guaranteed to see her there. She gets along with just about every cat in her room and only hisses when needed.

Okay, this entry is pretty long so I'm cutting out for now...(:

More to come...