Selfie Sunday 700

Happy Sunday, everybuddy! We're participating today in the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by our awesome pals at The Cat on My Head. As you can see from the group selfie by Gracie, Moosey and Zoe, this also happens to be our 700th post. :)

We're always surprised when we reach one of these "milestone" numbers. And we know we would have never made it this far without your love and support. Thank you all, dear friends, for being such sources of encouragement, strength and joy. And for sharing in our lives and adventures, and in the stories about the amazing cats we're blessed to meet through our time volunteering at PAWS.

Hugs and headbonks,

Moosey, Gracie, Zoe, Tracey and Kevin (meowmeowmans)

Forever Loved: Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day

Friends and followers of our blog know we're usually forward-focused; dreaming about loving forever families and happily ever afters for the cats living at PAWS. Add in a few posts about our beloved cats, Moosey, Gracie and Zoe, and you have the recipe for Animal Shelter Volunteer Life. But if you look a little deeper, you'll also see the influences of the pets who came before, who taught us so much about love, compassion and life. And who helped shape who we are, and all that we do.

That's why we're taking part today in the first ever "Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day." Conceived of by our friend Deb Barnes, of Zee and Zoey's Cat Chronicles, it's a special day to "honor all of the pets in our lives who have gone to the Rainbow Bridge." And to "...remember the joy, love and companionship they gifted us with, for however short or long their time on Earth was."

Along with Moosey, handsome Sammy was one of the original Animal Shelter Volunteer Life Cats. This incredibly sweet mancat taught us that there's joy to be found in almost every day ... whether it was falling asleep on his back, meowing his funny meow, or snuggling with Mom Tracey, he always made us smile. 

 

Beautiful Bitsy was Tracey's first pet of her very own. The two of them shared a really special bond. She was such a sweet cat, an amazing judge of people, a good eater, and a huge catnip aficionado. Oh, and Bitsy hated having her picture taken, so we're happy that we have this one of her. :)

 

Graphite was the first pet I (meowmeowmans) adopted on my own. He slept in the crook of my arm every night, and taught us about sensitivity and compassion. When Bitsy went to the Bridge, Graphite was very worried about Tracey, and would not leave her side. Moosey displays so many of Graphite's mannerisms and behaviors (even though they never knew each other), so we think Graphite had a paw in Moosey's adoption.

 

We adopted Maggie when an elderly woman was unable to keep her due to (the woman's) health issues. How heartbreaking. Even though she was only with us for 1 1/2 years,  Maggie blessed our lives with so much love and laughter. We learned about living in the present from Maggie ... she adapted so quickly to living in our home, even after she lived in her former human's home for 13 years!

 

Lady Madonna taught us about grace, peace and love. Tracey and I were going to adopt this gentle ladycat after Bitsy went to the Bridge. Sadly, she got sick and passed before we had the chance to do so. Lady Madonna served as a surrogate mommy to shelter kittens whose mom wasn't so interested in mothering, and was the peacekeeper in her room at PAWS (no tussling allowed!).

Tracey and I both had a number of childhood pets of whom we don't have pictures - woofies Honey, Daisy, Alfie, Partner, and Sushi; Happy the cat; Jo Jo the rabbit; guinea pigs Taffy and Pepper; and Big Boy the lizard. Even though we don't have pictures of these special friends, they are also remembered forever with love and gratitude.

If the Rainbow Bridge is real (and we really, really hope it is), it will be quite the greeting party that awaits us.

Image: Zee & Zoey's Cat Chronicles

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Friends

The PAWS kitchen cats all get along really well with each other.

They all love sunpuddles, and watching the action outside their window.

 

 

The only kitchen cat not in the window picture is Chappy.

He's pals with the other kitchen cats, but was trying to coax some pets and head scritches from the photographer (who happily complied, right after the shot)!

Easy Like Selfie Sunday :)

We're participating in the Sunday Selfie Blog Hop, sponsored by our good pals at The Cat on My Head. This week, the selfie duties are being handled by our handsome, super loud-purring, and adoptable pal Creamisicle. Nice pose, Creamy -- the crossed paws are a stylish touch! :)

And what Sunday would be complete without at least a little bit of Easy? Sweet but timid tuxedo cat Rudy was just about to take a nap when the pawparazzi interrupted him. Fortunately, the photog got the shot, and Rudy was able to settle in. So was handsome Taylor (he's the gray kitty you see behind Rudy).

 

Happy Sunday, Everybuddy!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Paris

Our adoptable friend Paris is such a cutie pie. She's about 2.5 years old, friendly, sweet and really gentle. She likes people of all ages, and gets along well with other cats. Paris would be the purr-fect addition to any family (as long as it does not include any dogs, since she is not a fan of them). She's spayed, current on her vaccinations, micro-chipped, and has tested negative for FIV and FeLV.

All Paris needs now is a forever home. Is it yours?

Easy Like Selfie Sunday :)

Happy Sunday, everybuddy. As we do nearly every week, we're mashing up our Sunday memes with a little bit of selfie, and a dash or two of easy. Handling the selfie honors (The Sunday Selfie Blog Hop is hosted by our pals at The Cat on My Head blog) this week is sweet, friendly lapcat Mariah.  Doesn't her face just emanate "lapcat" and "love?"

Mariah would do best as an only kitty, and in a quiet home where she can get lots of love (and have a lap of her own). She's about 10.5 years old, spayed, micro-chipped and current on her vaccinations. She has tested negative for FIV and FeLV.

Now, showing off their "Easy Like Sunday" skills are the beautiful, talented, and adoptable Room 8 cats. You may be thinking, "Wow, it's no wonder those cats are feeling Easy like Sunday. That room looks absolutely AMAZING. What a wonderful Habitat for Cats."

 

 It IS wonderful and amazing and fantastic, isn't it? We want to give a huge shout out and big thanks to our dear friends and fellow volunteers, Maggie and Rick, for creating the delight that is Room 8. For those of you who don't know, Maggie also has a terrific blog about the PAWS cats. It's called Shelter Cats. Please be sure to check it out, if you haven't already done so! :)

From left: Paris, JR, Zoe, Hubbell, Merritt and Marshall

Have a great Sunday!

Friends on Friday, and a Special Event!

Gracie

Zoe: Look! It's from our friends at The Cat On My Head.

Moosey: It's like a treasure chest.

Check out all of this stuff!

A little while ago, our dear friends at The Cat On My Head (aka The Kitties Blue) had a drawing/giveaway for the awesome swag they got at this year's BlogPaws Conference. And guess what? The random number selector picked US! How cool is that?

There was SO much stuff in the box ... a cat nip grinder, yummy treats, fun toys, a laser pointer, an official The Cat On My Head pen, and more! So much more, in fact, that we were able to share a lot of it with the PAWS cats, including pretty and adoptable Swizzle (who the Kitties Blue sponsor every month, and who is an honorary Blue Kitty)...

Swizzle: Thank you for my new pink toys, Kitties Blue and Mom Janet!

Big thanks, hugs and headbonks to you, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth, Calista Jo, and Mom Janet, for being such great friends, and for sharing your loot with us and the cats at PAWS. :)

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Speaking of PAWS, there's a special event this Saturday (August 15th) called "Clear the Shelters." PAWS is one of hundreds of shelters across the nation waiving adoption fees on adult cats and dogs for the day! We sure hope it's a huge success, and that many animals find their happily ever afters. You can read more about the event here.

Tuxie Tuesday (Opt to Adopt Morita)!

This is our beautiful, adoptable pal Morita. We're not sure exactly who named her, but we find it sort of humorous that "Cat Morita" rhymes with "Pat Morita," the name of the actor who played Mr. Miyagi in the original "Karate Kid" movie franchise.

Morita the cat may not be a karate master, but she's a black belt when it comes to snuggling, playing and being pet. This 2.5 year old sweetheart gets along with some other cats, and even some dogs; she would also be okay in a home with older children. Morita is spayed, micro-chipped, and up-to-date on her vaccinations. She has tested negative for FIV and FeLV. Come meet her today! :)

FURever Home Friday! :)

Hooray! It's time for the latest edition of FURever Home Friday, our periodic post about the lucky PAWS kitties who've found their forever homes. There's no sense delaying the deluge of happiness ... let's get this party started! :)

Do you remember our talkative and snuggly senior pal, Sophia? She was one of the shelter's longest (and most beloved) residents. She had been waiting patiently to be discovered by some lucky humans for almost 4 years. Well...

...Sophia's now in a permanent foster home, which is as close as a kitty can get to being adopted without actually being adopted. She'll live permanently in a real home, with her loving foster parents, and only come back to PAWS for checkups. We already miss her immensely, but are over the moon to hear she's already made herself right at home (and that she is a big fan of bird shows on her parents' iPad). :)

Look who else found their happily ever afters!

Here's the full list of the most recent PAWS graduates:

Archie, Asia, Bengali, Buttercup and Blossom (together), C-Lo, Eenie and Miney (together), Diamond, DJ, Erica, Frodo and Graycie (together), Little Caesar, Martina, Mindy, Olga, Oliver, Poblano and Cayenne (together), Salt and Pepa (together), Sophia (* - to permanent foster), and T-Bone

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Of course, no FURever Home Friday would be complete without some Happy Tails (um, Tales), so here are some awesome follow-up reports from some PAWS cat alumni and their families...

"These are my fur babies, Frankie and Johnny, they were adopted from PAWS, and will be 9 years old in November. They are Domestic Short Hair [although they shed like long hair kitties:)] Their favorite thing to do is talk to the birds and squirrels outside our windows (and snuggling with their Mommy)."

"Thank you PAWS for letting Itty into our family. He's such a great boy and fits right in. We were lucky he picked us."

Happy Weekend, everybody! :) 

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Kittens!

Those of you who are familiar with our blog know that we almost always feature grown up kitties. But seeing as how PAWS (like shelters all over) is currently in the middle of "kitten season," we thought we'd show you some of the babies we met this past weekend. :)

What's cuter than a kitten pile? (from left: PJ, Domino and Sbarro)

PJ

Domino

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Easy Like Selfie Sunday - Patch

Our friend Patch is handsome, sweet-natured and ready to find his forever home. He also takes a pretty awesome selfie, don't you think? 

Zzzzzzzzzz....

Have a super snoozy, easy Sunday, everybuddy.

We're taking part in the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, sponsored by our pals at The Cat on My Head. Be sure to visit them to see who else has joined the fun! :)