Terrific Adoption News!

King and Murphy have been adopted! They were the two handsome longhaired black cats mentioned in an earlier post who lived together in a room with the lovely, lovable (to humans, that is) black cat named Claire.

Let's just say that -- according to the following report from their new adoptive parents (and the pic above) -- King and Murphy are adjusting VERY WELL!

..."I wanted to drop you a quick note b/c I know you’ll be happy to hear that the fellas are doing great! We’ve got them set up in our bonus room right now, which is a large room so they have plenty of space to run around and play. We were planning on letting them out of the room in a few days to explore the rest of the house but they’ve acclimated so well we are going to do it today.

When we first got to the house, King came right out of the carrier and walked around like he owned the place. He immediately explored the room, ate, used the litter, and was playing, purring, and grooming within an hour. Murphy came right out of the carrier too, looked around, and then settled under a chair for the next hour. But then he was up and exploring and playing as well. Towards the end of the day Murphy would run right up to us whenever we came into the room and he would rub all on our legs while purring. This morning was more of the same, they both run to us when we enter the room and rub on us and purr. Both of them allowed us to brush them and seemed to enjoy it.

We really can’t believe how quickly they’ve made themselves at home. We were worried about Murphy but he’s really taken a liking to his new environment and seems very happy. He purrs loudly whenever we pet him. King too.

Thanks again for your help in the process. We’re very happy that this is working out so far."

Congrats King and Murphy! Kevin and I are so happy for you!!!!

Sweet Reggie is a True Gentleman

We absolutely adore Reggie.  This handsome, calm and good-natured fellow -- who lives in one of the shelter's "open" rooms (i.e. no cages) with a bunch of other kitties -- enjoys the company of people and felines alike.  He's also the room's self-appointed greeter: whenever we come through the door, Reggie is always right there to welcome us!  Don't get me wrong, though ... he's not an attention-hog by any means.  He's quite content to relax in a sun spot or gaze out the window while his roommates get some "people time."  It's almost as if Reggie understands that Tracey and I will eventually give each and every cat in the room some attention, and all he's got to do is wait.  This sweet, calm and patient nature just makes us love him even more! 

Abracadabra! Another Houdini Update

And now, for my next trick, I'll require a shoelace...

Houdini continues to astound us with his amazing progress. It gives us great pleasure to report that this magical guy has now decided he likes being pet. Yes, you read that correctly ... the cat who used to hide behind the safety of the cat tree now comes right up for his share of pets! Houdini's confidence level is growing by the day, and it's a joy to watch his true personality emerge. As you can see from these photos, he's intrigued by shoelaces ... he and I had a great time playing together this afternoon. :)

Past posts about Houdini:

Houdini and Bootz ... More Amazing Progress!

Update on Bootz and Houdini...

Bootz and Houdini

Wonderful News! Adoption and Foster Updates...

Kevin and I are very happy to announce that the following cats were adopted...

Bonnie & Clyde (together)
Hassie
Kyle
Mia

...And the following cats are being fostered...

Alexis & Jasper (together)
Annie & Blossom (together)

We’d like to give special thanks to all of you who adopt/foster shelter animals. With so many millions of shelter animals being euthanized annually, your choice to adopt from a shelter is very kind, giving and selfless. Thanks for giving them a chance at love.

Houdini and Bootz ... More Amazing Progress!

One of our favorite things about volunteering every weekend is being able to witness first-hand the transformative powers of consistency and love on the animals. Watching kitties who formerly avoided human contact learn to trust people is incredibly rewarding. Especially because it makes them that much more adoptable. :)

We've written before about Houdini (the orange and white guy) and Bootz, and continue to be amazed by their incredible progress. It's almost as if a light has gone on for both of them as they've watched the other cats in the room bask in the love and attention lavished upon them by the volunteers. As you can see by these photos, both of these kitties are becoming more at-ease with their surroundings with every passing day.

Houdini, who once refused to budge from his safe spot behind the big cat tree, can now be found lounging on the sofa or in the middle of the floor. Yesterday, as I sat on the floor of the room, Houdini got up off the couch, sauntered over, and laid down about two feet away from me. And today, Tracey was actually able to pet him (twice!).

Bootz -- not to be outdone by his buddy Houdini -- now enjoys laying next to us on the couch. He's also decided he loves being pet and brushed. Bootz is also fond of laying on his back with his belly exposed. Talk about feeling comfortable! Who would've ever guessed?

Stay tuned ... we'll do our best to keep you posted about these guys' continued growth.

Previous posts about Bootz and Houdini:

Update on Bootz and Houdini

Bootz and Houdini

Valerie is the Cat's (and the People's) Meow!

Every so often, we come across a kitty who just seems to exude love.  Such is the case with sweet Valerie.  This cute and petite tiger tabby gets along really well with almost every feline she meets, and also loves snuggling up with her human pals.  She's an easygoing girl, and I'm confident that she'll continue to blossom in a quieter home with her own people to give her the love and attention she craves.  One thing not everyone knows is that Valerie's little pink tongue sticks out when she's feeling especially happy and content.  We haven't managed to catch this on film yet, but we'll keep trying ... trust me, it's adorable!  

Welcome to PAWS Pepper, Sparky and Grover!

In just a couple of weekends Kevin and I have fallen in love with these adorable new arrivals:

PEPPER: This lovely gray and white girl came to PAWS because her owner would no longer care for her. She is about 15 years old and super sweet. While she seems a little cage dependent, she looks forward to spending some special time with us volunteers by welcoming the pets and the strokes from a brush.

SPARKY & GROVER: Sparky (orange and white kitty), 7 years old, and Grover (white w/tabby markings), 10, came to PAWS because their owner went into a nursing home. Situations like these really tug at our heartstrings and we wish there were more nursing home facilities that accepted residents' pets. Sparky and Grover were obviously loved as they are very sweet.

Amid the sadness, hope "Blossom"(s)

Newly grieving the loss of our dear Stevie, a few of us volunteers congregated in the kitchen area of the shelter today to reminisce about our sweet little girl. Janice, one of our dear volunteer friends asked if I had seen Blossom yet, a new kitty that arrived at the shelter a few days earlier. When I had told her that I hadn't, Janice advised me to brace myself as Blossom looks A LOT like Stevie and was found in about the same condition Steve was in when she first came to PAWS.

Slowly and quietly approaching her cage, I peered in and was shocked and amazed at how much she looked like our dear Stevie. I couldn't help but wonder if there was something bigger behind her coming to PAWS. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and this was one of those instances when that came to my mind.

I have since found out that Blossom was abandoned by her owner about a year ago and she had to learn to fend for herself outside. She was brought to PAWS dehydrated and pretty beat up. Like Stevie and despite her history, Blossom has the courage to remain a sweet, loving and TRUSTING cat. When we enter her room, she comes to the front of her cage and just wants to cuddle with us.

Kevin and I thought we would hold off until Blossom puts on a little more weight before we post a picture.  I'm happy to say we anticipate being able to post something real soon!

Little Stevie...In Memoriam

Recently, we received a very sad email from the Shelter Director about the passing of a very special cat named Stevie. I'd like to share with you the content of the email as it truly expresses the love and dedication that the organization and its volunteers has to every animal that comes through the doors:

I'm writing with a heavy heart to share with you news of the passing of our beloved Stevie Girl.

Stevie went over the Rainbow Bridge this morning.

For those of you who don't know her story, Stevie Girl was discovered in a carrier in a local cemetery, on a scorching summer day last year. She was in distress, had very little hair on her body, and was declared blind by the veterinarians who attended to her over at the VREC. When she was well enough to come to PAWS, it seemed that Stevie miraculously regained her eyesight, and as her health improved, we quickly discovered what a loving, feisty, precious girl she was.

A few months ago, we received news that Stevie was in renal failure, but she took her daily fluids and meds like a trooper, and didn't appear to slow down one bit. Of course, this only represents a tiny portion of her life. But that's the story of how Stevie Girl came into our lives.

We were discussing, after Stevie's death this morning, how she reminded us of Grizabella, the scruffy old lady cat from the musical, Cats. I'd like to think that, unlike Grizabella, the last few months of Stevie's life were filled with the comfort of knowing that she was loved and adored and that here, with us, she was "home."

On the morning of Stevie's journey over the Rainbow Bridge, Grizabella's words do seem fitting: "Touch me, it's so easy to leave me all alone with the memory, of my days in the sun.If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is. Look, a new day, has begun.."

We'll never forget the touch of her fur or the look in her eyes or the sound of her meow. And most of all, her amazing spirit.

Thank you to all of you who knew this amazing girl, and showed her love and kindness.

We will miss you, Stevie, and await the day when we will all be reunited - over Rainbow Bridge.

And the Newest PAWS Kitty Grads are...

Hooray!  Some more of the kitties covered here in the blog have recently "graduated!"  Joining the ranks of the PAWS kitty alumni are...

... the delightful, "Cat TV"-watching orange brothers Ari and Artie, who went TOGETHER to their new forever home ...

... gentle, sweet and beautiful Hassie

... sweet and playful Kerry, who went home with one of our fellow cat volunteers

Saying goodbye to these wonderful cats is a bittersweet experience for the volunteers.  We love these kitties so much, and they will certainly be missed, but this is exactly why we socialize them:  so they can find people and homes of their very own. : )