Happy New Year :)

It'll be a blessed new year, indeed, for some PAWS cats (including Reeses and his sister Sasha, both pictured above) who will ring in 2011 in their forever homes! Since our last update, the following kitties have also been adopted: Cricket, Decker, Dolby and Muffin, Duffy, Haley and Burke, Jones, Kix and Trix, Licorice (who will be joining PAWS alum Justin), Ming, Portia and Pockaboo, Ryobi, Snow Pea, Sony and Yahtzee, and Toro and Cooper.

For all you PAWS cats who haven't yet "graduated," don't worry! We're confident the coming year will bring with it some great opportunities for us to help you find your forever families. Until you do, all of the volunteers and staff will give you as much love and attention as we can. :)

And finally, to you, all of our friends and blog followers ... thank you, and Happy New Year. :)

Merry Christmas! :)

"Santa, is that you up there?"

While Moosey waits for Santa, all of us here at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life wish you the merriest of Christmases, and a blessed new year. We'll be taking a break from blogging for the next few days, but want to thank you all for your continued support and friendship!

(*postscript: Yay! Santa made it to our house, bringing with him some very nommy treats and even some cat milk!)

Kevin, Tracey, Sammy, Moosey, Maggie and all the PAWS cats :)

Waiting on Wednesday

Moosey: What are you doing under there, Sammy?

Sammy: Waiting for Santa, Moosey. Waiting for Santa.

NOTE: PAWS graduates Sammy and Moosey (and their sisFUR Maggie) live with their mom Tracey and dad Kevin, the folks at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life. :)

Celebrate Me Home

Even though many of the kitties now at PAWS are still looking for their forever homes, some of our "graduates" will be spending their first holiday seasons with their new families. Among our furry friends who were adopted since our last update...

Tammy

Izzy

Franny

Also going to their forever homes were Biscuit; Blackberry and Rasberry; Della; Emerald; Hallie, Hank and Hammie; Henrietta; Kelsey; Kokie; Loretta; Marley; Mickey; Muffin; Opie and Essie; Pancake; Panini; and Sparrow.

We also heard from the family who adopted Sheila the TV-loving cat, who said: “Sheila is adjusting to her new home nicely … her new name is Sophie Sheila … and she loves gazing out windows and hanging out with her new owners.” Our guess is that she thinks watching birds and squirrels through the window is way better than anything on TV. :)

Pleasantly Plump for the Holidays :)

Our sweet, lap-loving buddy Claire is still wishing for her very own forever home. Wouldn't it be great if she found it this holiday season?

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Sweetheart

Here's our pal Sweetheart, honing her award-winning lapcat skills. :)

On this Thanksgiving Day...

...we have so much to be grateful for. Thank you to all who adopt shelter animals and/or take in stray pets ... you recognize just how special these wonderful creatures are, and you've opened up your loving homes to them. You are saving lives, and for that we are eternally grateful. Thank you also to those kind souls who help shelter animals, serve as fosters, care for feral cats, and/or participate in trap-neuter-return programs.

We're also thankful for the many friends we've made through our blog. Thank you for sharing your lives with us, and for sharing in our joys (and in our tears when stories didn't have the happy endings for which we had hoped). Your wonderful words and support are often sources of strength and encouragement in both good and bad times.

There are, of course, many other things in our lives for which we are grateful. But because we love animals so much, the things above are high on our list. Thank you all again, and for those who celebrate Thanksgiving ... ENJOY!

-- Tracey, Kevin, Sammy, Moosey and Maggie :)

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Augusta

Sweet and floofy Augusta is dreaming of a forever home.

Two for Tuesday, and an interview by PBU

Buddy is a smooth talker. This handsome fellow usually meows at us from his cage, which we're pretty sure is his way of asking, "Isn't it time for Bebe and me to stretch our legs?" When Tracey and I do let them out, Buddy prefers sticking close by, so that he can get pets and head scritches. And while this 11 years young guy isn't a quintessential "lap cat," he has been known to partake of some lap time when the mood strikes.

Bebe, an adorable 6.5 years young mackerel tabby, has a sweet, calm and reserved nature. When she and Buddy are out of their cages, she can usually be found relaxing on the highest part of the Room One cat tree. But don't be fooled ... Bebe is not a one-dimensional couch potato. Show her a bouncy ball, mouse toy or a wadded up piece of paper and she'll play with the reckless abandon of a kitten! :)

Before they came to PAWS, Buddy and Bebe lived their entire lives with one owner, who sadly, could no longer keep them. While they are not particularly bonded to one another, they do get along well. And they do make a nice couple, don't you think? ;)

As for that interview we mentioned in the title...

Today, our awesome friends Oskar and Pam over at the fantastic Pet Blogs United (PBU) have made us the subject of their first ever "Talkie Tuesday" interview! Please be sure to check it out, especially if you ever wanted to know a little more about us at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life (and about PAWS, the animal shelter at which we volunteer).

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Conrad

Conrad is a sweet boy. We'll write about him in a future post, but we couldn't resist sharing these pictures. Isn't he cute? :)

Happy Halloween :)

(Almost) Wordless Way Back Wednesday

We thought we'd share some photos of our angel kitties. We love and miss you (from top) Bitsy, Graphite and Lady Madonna ... and look forward to the day when we see you all again.

FURever Home Friday

Great news, friends! We've recently had a nice run of adoptions, including those of Bijoux and Noelle (aka "Meow Meow," the kitty Kevin and I found in the woods)!

Now, those of you who've been following our blog for some time may be asking, "Wasn't Bijoux was adopted a while ago?" And you would be correct. Sadly, that particular adoption didn't work out, and we welcomed Bijoux back to PAWS. Since then, our adoption counselors worked hard to get her adopted to just the right home, and she recently went to live happily ever after with a very nice, young married couple who love Bijoux for the "gem" she is! :)

Other adoptions we're happy to share: Butch, Carmella, Claudia (one of our longtimers), Hobbs, Justin, Mia, Pecan, and brothers Ralph and Richie (together).

We thank you so much, kitties, for enriching our lives. We wish you long, happy, and healthy lives with the wonderful families who took you in.

We love you all!

Tracey & Kevin

National Feral Cat Day

MEOW! My name's Sammy, and I'm one of the furry children of the folks at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life. Since I used to live in a feral cat colony -- and today is National Feral Cat Day -- I asked my mom and dad if I could write today's blog post. National Feral Cat Day was started in 2001 by the people at Alley Cat Allies -- the national group that helps feral and stray cats, and experts about something called Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). With TNR, kitties who live outdoors are humanely trapped and brought to a v-e-t to be checked out, spayed or neutered and given their shots (me-OUCH!). Kitties who are friendly (like ME!) are put up for adoption. Luckily for me, this meant an end to my days as a feral cat. Mom and dad adopted me from PAWS about four years ago, and I'm very happy living here with them, my brofur Moosey and my sisfur Maggie! :)

Truly feral kitties who've done all that v-e-t stuff are released back into the areas they came from, and nice humans feed them every day and take care of any who are sick or get hurt. And because they are spayed and neutered, the feral cats don't have to deal with stuff like mating and pregnancy, and no new kittens are born.

If you'd like to learn more about National Feral Cat Day, Alley Cat Allies, and/or how you can help feral cats, please click HERE.

Thanks for reading my post!

Sammy the Cat :)

Tuxedo Tuesday

The five beautiful tuxies pictured above are among the more than 100 cats currently living at PAWS. Noelle is sweet and playful. Bootz loves watching television. Libra, a kitten, is shy, but loves to play. Sasha and her cow cat brother Reeses are very friendly. Betsy loves being held and pet.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Gizmo

Longtime PAWS resident Gizmo has been adopted! A friend to kitties and volunteers alike, this gentle giant orange tabby had been at the shelter for almost 1 1/2 years. Congratulations on your new forever home, buddy ... we love you!

We LIVESTRONG Today

Sammy, Maggie, Moosey (and Kevin and Tracey, too) join in love and support of all of those whose lives have been touched by cancer, and remember our friends and family members who have passed on. LIVESTRONG.

Forever Home Friday

Exciting news! After being at PAWS for more than a year, our buddy Tally has landed himself a PURRfect forever home. We'll miss this handsome and gentle cow cat with a penchant for chasing sun spots and laser lights, but we're over the moon that he finally has a home and a person to call his very own. ConCATulations, Tally. We love you! :)

It's Good to be an Indoor Cat :)

Hi! My name is Noelle, but I'm also known by my friends as "Meow Meow." Let me tell you ... I sure am happy to be an indoor cat. I've been outside, and it's very scary! My PAWS volunteer friends Tracey and Kevin (who also happen to write this blog) found me wandering around by myself in the woods back in July -- during the middle of the hottest week of the year. I could tell they were cat lovers right away, and was so relieved and happy when they stopped to pet and talk to me. I even climbed in their laps when they sat on the ground!

The people at PAWS had me checked out by a V-E-T, and it was a really good thing my friends found me, because I had a leg wound that needed to be treated AND an upper respiratory infection. I'm all better now, living at PAWS and waiting to find a purrfect forever home. I'm a young (about one year old), sweet and playful ladycat. I am spayed and am up to date on all my vaccinations. I hope I'm adopted real soon ... hey, maybe YOU can adopt me ... but until then, am living in one of the open cat rooms at PAWS.

Love and Purrs,

Noelle aka Meow Meow

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Pixie

Beautiful Pixie is a shy and sweet girl cat looking for a nice quiet home. She loves being pet and brushed, and seems to be fascinated with watching the playful kittens who share her room at PAWS. :)

Really Thankful Thursday

And just what are we thankful for? Well ... since our last adoption update, we've had some great adoptions and received really heartwarming follow-up notes from some adoptive families. :)

The adoptions include five kitties we've covered previously on our blog: Babe (pictured above), Chyna, Oliver, Pip and Shaq. Also joining the ranks of official PAWS alumni are: Alexa, Almond, Cap'n Crunch, Cashew, Chester, Cutie Pie & Faith, Earl the Girl, Flower, Graham, Hank (to foster), Itchy & Scratchy, Jax, Jellybean (to live with Frenchie!), Kix & Trix, Ladybug, Lapis, Layla, Leif, Lolita, Ludwig (to foster), Macaroni, Magenta & Joon, Maya & Savannah, Mr. Friendly, Mr. Meow, Petal, Pisces, Polly, Queen Bee & her daughter, Quinn, Sweet Pea & Pesto, Tigor, and Tikka & Charlie.

As for the follow-up notes, here are a couple that we hope make you smile as much as they did us...

"Prince is doing well. He and I were MADE for each other. He is SUCH a lovey-bear! He now sleeps with me every night and lays on the foot of my recliner sometimes (especially if I am not feeling well). He likes to wake me up very early on weekend mornings to feed him by sneaking up next to my face and touching his little nose to mine and purring so loud you'd think a Harley Davidson was in my bedroom ... it's just too cute! He loves tummy-rubs and ear-scritching and if he had his way I would do it 24/7. When I talk to him ... he totally understands what I’m saying and acts on it. He greets me with much kitty-chatter when I come home at night and at bedtime! I just adore him!”

"Sherwood (who is now named Massimo) is doing great and has fully acclimated into our family. My older cat Bella has finally accepted him. It took close to 6 months, but it looks like we are there. They are now feeding together, and just the other day, Massimo had finished eating and as he turned the corner to leave the room he was face to face with Bella. They stopped and looked at each other. He then proceeded to lick her neck/chest area and nuzzled his head into her neck. It was the first time I witnessed a display of affection between them and frankly cutest thing I've ever seen them do! He's great with our kids - still a little skittish as they are a little loud for his taste and he keeps a low profile when we have guests (especially children). He kills all of the bugs too! He loves to get groomed and have his nails trimmed. Thanks again for helping us pick out and rescue the perfect addition to our family! We could not be happier. He truly is a gentle giant!"

Have a great day, everyone! :)

Did you know....

... that PAWS (the shelter at which we volunteer) in Norwalk, CT houses not just lots of kitties available for adoption, but doggies, too? Our friend Cindy (who is also a volunteer) has a blog about the many wonderful woofies available for adoption at the shelter. Please check out her site ("Scratch My Belly") here.

Bark in the Park
PAWS has a number of unique fundraising events throughout the year, and on September 19th will hold its 3rd annual "Bark in the Park" fundraiser, at beautiful Cranbury Park in Norwalk, CT. You can check out details about the event here.

PAWS Photo Contest (for doggies) - Winner to be announced at Bark in the Park
Have an adorable picture of one of your pooches? Think it's worthy of an award? Then submit your photo in the PAWS Photo Contest! Submit a photo for a chance to win at a cool prize AND have your dog appear as the PAWS Facebook Fan Page Photo for 2 weeks! The winner will be announced at the Bark in the Park event. Click Here for full contest details & entry form! Deadline for entries is Sept. 10, 2010.

[Oh, and just in case you're wondering ... the handsome little woofie in the picture above is former PAWS resident Taco. :) ]

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Bella

Bella is a silly girl.

Maggie is Home! :) (updated 08/23/10 @ 10:06PM)

Great news! We're happy to report that after a 2 1/2 day stay at the v-e-t ... Maggie is home!

Her appetite isn't exactly back to normal, but she did begin eating at the V-E-T's office earlier today (from yummy selections that included tuna and chicken). She even ate (a little) of her regular cat food. She is still on an appetite stimulator, but her doctors are hoping we'll be able to wean her off as the days progress. Even though we'll have to monitor her eating habits and behavior closely this weekend, all of us are over the moon to have our girl home where she belongs. :)

It seems like we're getting there, but we're definitely not "out of the woods" just yet. Until we are, we hope you'll please keep purring and purraying for Maggie to get back to tip-top form. :)

Purrs, headbonks and great thanks to you all,

Kevin, Tracey, Sammy, Moosey and Maggie :)

=====================================

UPDATE 08/23/10 @ 7:35AM

Maggie seems to be doing well, and her appetite steadily improved over the weekend -- even after we weaned her off the appetite stimulant. She still isn’t eating with the same gusto as before, but she IS cleaning her bowl pretty well. Oh, and she hasn’t thrown up, and she’s going to the bathroom regularly (knock on wood).

For the most part, she’s been acting normally, though she seems to lack some of her normal feistiness. When she is feeling up to it, we’ll have some good old-fashioned playtime. In the meantime, however, our girl has been enjoying lots of petting, brushing and snuggling.

We will be speaking to the V-E-T today to find out what our next steps are. FYI -- they seem to think this was NOT related to Maggie’s hyperthyroid meds, but we are a little nervous since she got sick so soon after she started taking them. We’ll be sure to ask again when we speak to the V-E-T.

All in all, things are looking really good. Thank you all for your purrs and prayers, and for your continued friendship!

Love,

Kevin, Tracey, Sammy, Moosey and Maggie

====================================

*** UPDATE 08/23/10 @ 10:06PM ***

Maggie is laying here next to me, purring and looking sweet as I type this update. I spoke this afternoon with the V-E-T, who was pleased to hear that our good girl is recovering nicely. She continues to eat well, and we are starting to see flashes of her normal behavior. Once she’s pretty much back to normal, the V-E-T says we’ll try her on the Methimazole (for hyperthyroidism) again, but that we will take it slow – and at a smaller dose. As we said before, they do not think this was Methimazole-related, but they would rather err on the side of caution. And for that, we are glad! :)

Thanks, purrs and nosetaps to you all,

Maggie and her family

Please Purr and Pray for Maggie (updated 08/19 @ 9:51pm)

Please purr and pray for our own beautiful and silly tabby cat Maggie (that's her on the bottom left of our blog header), one of the three kitties who own us people at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life (i.e. she is NOT a PAWS shelter cat).

Poor Maggie is pretty sick ... she's been throwing up quite a bit and not eating for the last three days (which is totally out of character for our girl, who is normally a member of the "clean bowl club"). She has to stay over at the vet hospital tonight, and her doctors -- please purr and pray for them, too -- are hard at work to figure out what's ailing her. Tracey and I (and her kitty brothers Sammy and Moose) love Maggie so much, and are worried sick to see her this way. :(

- Maggie's dad Kevin (aka "meowmeowmans")

============================

*** UPDATE 08/19/10 10:30 AM ***

Thank you all for your positive thoughts, purrs and prayers ... please keep them coming. Your friendship and messages are great sources of encouragement and comfort to us, and we are truly grateful. :)

This morning, we received an encouraging update from the vet, who said that Maggie did fine with the IV drip … did not throw up all day yesterday or overnight … ate (a little) wet food … pooped and peed ... and does NOT have any obstructions in her digestive tract. Her test results are showing mostly good things … no parasites in her stool sample, liver values are okay, and she is negative for pancreatitis. Her CBC *does* show some mild changes, and according to the vet, this is where they sometimes see problems from thyroid meds (Maggie recently started taking methimazole for hyperthyroidism). The vet will be speaking with a consultant today about this. And if Maggie’s eating does not improve, the vet is going to give her an intravenous Valium, which should help her appetite.

We will get another update later today, and are hopeful that we can bring her home. We will keep you posted with any updates. Thanks again. :)

============================

*** UPDATE 08/19/10 @ 9:51 PM ***

Please keep purring and praying. The vet felt it was best if Maggie remained there for at least one more night. At this point, the biggest concern is that she still isn’t showing a lot of interest in food. Not even when her mom (Tracey) showed up after work with some tuna and chicken! They’ve given her another appetite stimulant, and the hope is that she’ll eat overnight, when the hustle and bustle of the vet hospital has subsided for the day. We certainly hope she gets her appetite back soon, because not eating can lead to a whole lot of other secondary health issues. And there is even talk of a temporary feeding tube if this continues ... we don’t want that to happen. What we DO want is to have Maggie all better and back at home where she belongs. We miss her dearly.

Thank you, everyone.

Kevin and Tracey, and Maggie’s brofurs Sammy and Moosey

Wow! We Won an Award :)

Holy cat! Our friends at Furbaby Chat! have given us the pawsome Versatile Blogger Award. Thank you Sharky, ET, Duchess and Lauren for being our friends, and for choosing us for this honor. We've said it before, but it bears repeating ... we love sharing about all of our kitty friends at PAWS, so we're extremely flattered whenever animals and their humans derive enjoyment from the stories and images here on our blog. :)

According to the rules that accompany the award, we're supposed to share seven things about ourselves. But since this is a blog about the cats at PAWS, we hope it's okay if we share about seven of them instead! And in case you're wondering, all these kitties are still looking for their forever homes.

1. Gadget is one of the smartest cats we know. He has a great memory, so we can never use the same trick twice to get him back into his cage.

2. Susie loves living in the volunteer lounge. As you can see, this also means there is one less locker available for us to use. ;)

3. Gizmo is a gentle giant. His roommates and volunteers alike love this big, sweet orange boy.

4. Keesa’s favorite activity is licking volunteers’ hands. Remember to rotate your hand, or you’ll have a red spot from her sandpapery tongue.

5. Beautiful Augusta is the queen of the “silent” meow. She is a great jumper, too ... she can leap up onto things with the greatest of ease.

6. Oliver really likes dogs. In fact, he helps the PAWS staff test woofies to make sure they can safely live in a home with cats.

7. Babe is a total sweetheart. She loves people and cats alike.

The rules also state that we have to pass along the award to 15 blogging friends. How can we choose just 15, when we have so many friends with amazing blogs? Talk about difficult. In any case, here's our list, but know that it could've easily been twice as long! Please check out these blogs when you have a chance. You'll be happy you did.

Adventures of Admiral Hestorb

Alley Cats and Angels of North Carolina

Brian's Home

Cat's Cats

Cats of Wildcat Woods

Daisy the Curly Cat (Harley, too!)

House of Cats

Jacqueline's Cat House

Jan's Funny Farm

Margs Pets

Scratch My Belly

Sundays at the Shelter

The Cat's Meow!

The Monkeys

The Whiskeratti

And finally, we're supposed to notify the award recipients, so off we go!

Have a great weekend, everyone. :)

PAWS Contest: Best Cat to Watch TV With

It's PAWS kitty contest time again! This month's CATegory is "Best Cat to Watch TV With." :)

There are actually quite a few PAWS kitties who show some interest with the what goes on inside "the box with the moving pictures," which made it difficult to whittle the list down to just three finalists. But by selecting the cats who are TRUE TV ADDICTS, we were able to do it. So without further adieu, here are your finalists:

Bootz: this master of floof and whiskers -- and avid watcher of "Cat TV" -- has made tremendous strides since coming to PAWS. Though he's still a little wary of strangers, he'll plop right down on the couch next to people he knows for snuggles and pets. Here he is demonstrating the proper technique for whapping a bird on TV...

Sheila is another cat who has come out of her shell with the love and care she's received from the volunteers and staff at PAWS. She's even learned that it's possible for multiple kitties to live together in relative harmony in one of the shelter's "open" rooms. Throughout it all, one thing's been clear ... this girl lives for watching (and interacting with the) TV. And as seen in the her screen capture (below, right), she isn't afraid to take on a bird that appears to be bigger than her!

Sasha and Reeses: TV-watching is just one of the things these relative newcomers enjoy. Besides stalking birds and squirrels on the television screen, they also show great affinity for their volunteer friends offering pets, laps, belly rubs and toys.

It's always tough picking a winner, but the judges were swayed by Sheila's unbridled enthusiasm and the fact that she has her own workout video. So the winner of "Best Cat to Watch TV With" is Sheila!

ConCATulations, Sheila! And kudos to the other finalists, too. You are ALL stars to us, and we're working hard to find your PURRfect forever homes (with televisions, of course!). :)

Finally Friday

Whew! It's been one of those weeks. As you can see, our pal Mercedes is getting a head start on one of the activities we have planned for the weekend. :)


Have a great weekend, everyone!

Until We Cross Rainbow Bridge Together

This week the volunteers and staff at PAWS grieve the heartbreaking losses of two very special kitties, Minnie and Kiki.

Minnie, our diminutive "cow-kitty," came to Paws in April 2009 and entered into a foster home this past May, when she was quickly entering the final stages of renal failure. During her time in foster, our sweet girl "... got to sleep in sunbeams - she had her bed in the window to see the sunrise, a spot on the bed for the afternoon sun and a perch to look out the window at sunset. She got to feel a breeze on her face and watch the birds, squirrels and chipmunks in the yard. And she was loved very much." (as quoted by Matt, her kind-hearted foster parent)

You all celebrated with us when -- in our most recent post -- we shared the happiest of stories regarding the adoption of our dear, sweet Bengal kitty, Kiki, who landed himself a wonderful, loving, and palatial home. How extremely shocked and saddened we were when his adoptive family informed us that Kiki succumbed to old age. We can't help but think back to the picture of him lounging in his courtyard, next to a book, saying, "what a life he had toward the end."

Kevin and I want to thank you, Matt, for opening your heart and home to Minnie, even though you knew her time on this earth was limited. Your strength and compassion are greatly admired and appreciated. Though our hearts broke to hear of Minnie's passing, we are so glad to know she had the opportunity to once again enjoy life outside of a shelter and in a loving home.

We would also like to thank Kiki's adopted family for loving him so much and so well, even though he was a senior cat. You are indeed very special, and we wish there were more people like you.

To our dearest kitty friends Minnie and Kiki, you will both continue to have a special place in our hearts, until the day we are reunited and walk together over Rainbow Bridge. In the meantime, please tell Bitsy, Graphite, Lady Madonna, Pharaoh, and all the other kitties that we've loved and lost that we say "hi" and that we'll never forget them, and that we look forward to that very special day...

XXOO,

Tracey & Kevin