In a FLASH! #RememberMeThursday

September 23, 2021 is Remember Me Thursday, an international event that shines a light on orphan pets, and the beauty and life-saving importance of pet adoption. And we want to share a story-in-progress about our amazing, adorable and adoptable friend Flash.

Can you imagine your life being completely uprooted in one fell swoop? Can you imagine the confusion and fear that comes from being taken from the place where you’ve known love, care and safety, and finding yourself in unfamiliar surroundings where you don’t know a soul? That’s exactly what happened to our friend Flash, after her owner suddenly passed away. For a confident cat, the adjustment would be challenging. For a shyer kitty like Flash, the challenge seemed daunting, to say the least.

It seemed daunting to all of us, too. Flash was never aggressive or angry, but it was clear she was overwhelmed and afraid. You could see she was wondering things like, “Where is my human? … Who are these other strange humans? … Who are all these other cats? … Why do I hear dogs barking?”

When Flash first arrived at PAWS, her name could have described her reaction whenever we interacted with her. As in, gone in a flash. Back in those days, this is what passed for a “good” photo of Flash. It’s not exactly terrible, but it was taken from across the room with a zoom lens, and you can clearly see she was still pretty wary. Right after this photo was taken, she ran and hid.

Flash was grateful for high shelves, posts and other physical barriers, and would often peek around them at us. Physical touch was still a rarity. On a good day, she might allow us to gently touch her on the head. Anything more than that? Gone in a flash.

 

And that’s how it went for about 3 months. But then, in late 2020, it was like something clicked for this shy and gentle girl. It was as though she realized that the humans (volunteers and staff) here are sources of great things, like food, catnip (more on this later), playing, and even gentle brushing and petting. 💖 

 

Now, when “Flashy” hears familiar voices at the door of her free-roaming cat room, she’s up and attentive. When people she knows walk in, she’s ready for some gentle petting and scritches. Got catnip? She’ll definitely be there! Had a bad day, and need something to make you smile? Yup, you guessed it … Flash is there in a flash. She also happens to get along well with other nice kitties, as you can see from this photo of her photobombing her (already adopted) friend Sunny.

 

Will Flash ever be a supremely confident cat? We don't know for sure. But with the amazing progress she’s made during her extended stay at PAWS, we can vouch that she is a sweet and gentle cat who is more than ready to find her true forever home. It may take a while for her to feel safe and secure, but we are certain that in a quiet home full of patience and love (and with a supply of catnip), she will be a steadfast companion for whoever is lucky enough to adopt her. Flash is about 9 years old, spayed, current on her vaccinations, and negative for FIV and FeLV. We do believe there’s a home for every cat, but that sometimes they just take a little longer to find. We look forward to the day Flash finds her happily ever after, but while she waits here at the shelter, she is loved and cherished.

 

There are so many wonderful and amazing pets waiting to be discovered at PAWS, and at shelters and rescue organizations everywhere. By adopting, you'll be saving TWO lives – the one of your new forever friend AND the life of the next one that can now be taken in. #SeeTheLight

 

We're taking part in the special Remember Me Thursday Blog Hop, hosted by our awesome friends at Lola the Rescued Cat. Be sure to visit their blog to see who else is hopping (and/or to hop along)!

 

FURever Home Found: #RememberMeThursday

Today is #RememberMeThursday, an international event that shines a light on orphan pets, and the beauty and life-saving importance of pet adoption. And we've got a tale to tell!

 

 

In December 2016, we met a beautiful 4 year-old cat named Sassy for the first time.

Sassy (circa 2016)

It was clear she was overwhelmed by being surrounded by other cats, and by the unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells of the shelter. Her backstory, and how she ended up at PAWS, made the situation even sadder. As it happens, the reason she was so nervous and wary of humans was that she had been tormented by children in her former home. Instead of teaching their children to treat animals with love and care, the adults in the house took the easy road (for them), and Sassy was out.

Despite what she had been through, Sassy often showed her human friends (read: PAWS volunteers and staff) flashes of her true self. To those of us she trusted, Sassy was a gentle, sweet, and playful cat who just needed a chance.

 

Sassy (circa 2017)

But, we all wondered, would that chance ever come? In 2017, 2018, and 2019, more than 1,500 cats and kittens were adopted from PAWS. Sassy was not one of them. But we all knew in our hearts that this special girl’s forever home was out there somewhere. We just had to find it. And in 2020, while the COVID-19 pandemic spurred adoptions and foster homes for shelter animals across the nation, Sassy waited patiently for her moment. 

Sassy (circa 2020)

And then it happened. In May of this year, after a 3 ½ year wait, Sassy was adopted. How, we wondered, would she do in a home where she was loved and cherished? Would she blossom, as we believed she would if given the chance?

The answer, of course, is yes. After just three days, her mom shared these pictures. Sassy is finally home.

 

 

Sassy’s story is a testament to the value of patience, the power of love, and the forgiving spirit of animals. We’re grateful she ended up at a place like PAWS, where she had the time she needed to adjust, and to find her happily ever after.

Please consider adopting your next pet from a shelter or rescue organization. By doing so, you'll be saving an animal’s life - and the life of the next one that can now be taken in by the shelter. And what could be better than being a part of the fairy tail ending that a pet like Sassy has been waiting her whole life for? 

 

We're taking part in the special Remember Me Thursday Blog Hop, hosted by our awesome friends at Lola the Rescued Cat. Be sure to visit their blog to see who else is hopping (or to hop along)! 

(Almost) Wordless Wednesdsay - Lola

If our pal, Lola, looks familiar, it's because she starred in this post back in May. She was adopted soon after, but through no fault of her own, finds herself back at PAWS. As you can see from these photos, she's still utterly adorable. And we can attest that she's as sweet as ever.

Lola is purrfect. All she needs now is to find her happily ever after.

 

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Lola

We know what you're wondering. You're wondering if our beautiful and adoptable friend, Lola, could possibly be as sweet as she appears to be in these photos. Well, wonder no more, because the answer is positively and unequivocally YES. Lola really IS as sweet and loving as she looks.😸

Lola is about one year old. She's spayed, microchipped, current on her vaccinations, and negative for FIV and FeLV. She gets along well with other nice cats, and loves spending time with her human pals. Lola is so ready to find her happily ever after. Is it with you?

Happy MEW Year!

Happy Mew Year! Or, maybe we should say Happiest Mew Year, because that's what it is for the many (now former) PAWS cats who will be ringing in 2019 with their new FURever families.

Those of you who've been here before probably recognize some of the faces in this collage of some of our friends who found their happily ever afters in December:

Clockwise from upper left: Millie, Gerdy, Ginger, Rascal, Christina, Tessa, Cindy Lou Hoo,
Leona and Bill all found forever homes in December!

Here's the full roster of the December graduates (50 of them as of the morning of December 31!), in alphabetical order: Ashton and Gilbert (together), Bailey, Bam Bam, Bentley, Bill, Blackjack, Boo, Christina, Cindy Lou Hoo, Claurice, Coco, Crosby, Daisy and Macee (together), Dwight, Filipe and Sophia (together), Finn and Bella (together), Gerdy, Ginger, Gomez, Judy, Kitty, Klaus, Leona, Leopold, Lola, Millie, Mindy and Wendell (together), Mistletoe, Moo Kat, Moose, Mr. Black Cat, Murray and Star (together), Princess Ophelia, Rascal, Santiago, Sergeant Orr, Sparkles, Tabby, Tessa, Tiberius, Tinykat, Umberto, Vinnie and Zulu.

Congratulations to all these graduates, and their new families! We wish them, and all of you, a new year that's filled with an abundance of joy, good health, and love. 

And here's a happy tail from Calli's (formerly Sassafrass) family. We think it'll give you another reason to smile as we start 2019: 

Thank you for allowing us to adopt the sweetest, goofiest, funny, adorable and loving kitty. We named her Calli and she has really thrown herself into our family. The boys adore her and have been so caring. She has completely found herself a home with us. She is my sleeping buddy. I attached some pictures. I hope you know how much we appreciate what you do for these pets. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts.
 

Finally, speaking of NEW ... you probably noticed things look a little (okay, a lot) different here on our blog. We LOVE our new header, designed by our wonderfully talented friend Ann at Zoolatry (Thank you, Ann!). Not only is it beautiful, the fact that it features all new cats is also a celebration of the adoption in September of the final PAWS kitty (our buddy Patch) featured on our old header. We hear that Patch is doing great in his forever home, and he is loved an adored.💖

Happy New Year, everybuddy!

😺💖😸

A Home for Every Cat #RememberMeThursday

Thursday, September 27, is Remember Me Thursday, a special international event that shines a light on orphan pets, and the beauty and life-saving importance of pet adoption. To mark this special awareness day, we're sharing about something wonderful that happened on Sunday.

Patch, in February 2016

We like to think there's the right home for every cat that comes through the doors of PAWS. Sometimes, it takes a long time to find that home, but we all believe it's out there, somewhere. 

Some shelter cats get adopted quickly. These are most often the young, friendly and outgoing cats who deal well with being in new and unfamiliar places. But there are also cats who are older, or ones who are shy, scared and/or less outgoing with strangers. They may be wonderful, and love the humans with whom they are familiar (shelter staff and volunteers), but these kitties often don't show well and tend to get passed over time and again by potential adopters.

Young Patch, in early 2011

One such cat was volunteer favorite Patch, who first came to PAWS on May 28, 2010, when his human mom passed away. At that time, we wrote that, "The woman’s widower said, “…he didn’t want Patch and his mother around ‘because they were a reminder of his late wife.’" And if that wasn’t bad enough, whoever put Patch into the carrier to be brought to PAWS did so with such force that his back claws were torn. It’s no wonder that Patch was terrified of people when we first met him." (You can read one of our first posts about Patch here.)

Patch, from December 2015

With love and patient persistence from his volunteer friends, Patch learned that some humans were sources of good things. But after 8 1/3 years of watching other cats come and go, would he ever find his happily ever after? We're happy to report that the answer is YES. This past Sunday, Patch was adopted! And there wasn't a dry eye in the house. He is going to a home with experienced cat parents, who have promised to send us lots of photos and updates. He will be joining a senior gal kitty in the home as a companion. We know Patch will flourish with his mom and dad's love and a regular routine.

Patch and his new family, on September 23, 2018

 We are over the moon that Patch and his new parents made that special forever love connection. He's certainly one of the lucky ones. But every day, thousands of cats and dogs aren’t so fortunate. Through no fault of their own, they end up in shelters that are not able to give them the time they need to adjust, and many die while waiting for their forever homes. Please consider rescuing your next pet instead of shopping for one. You'll be saving that pet's life - and the life of the next one that can now be taken in by the shelter!

We're taking part in the special Remember Me Thursday Blog Hop, co-hosted by our pals at Lola the Rescued Cat, and Three Chatty Cats. Be sure to visit their blogs to see who else is hopping (or to join in)! 

(Almost) Wordless Mimi and Thankful

This cutie is our adoptable pal, Mimi. She's a little on the shy side, but she is making tremendous strides every week! She loves to play, and enjoys attention and being petted by her human buddies (i.e. PAWS staff and volunteers).

Mimi gets along well with other nice cats and would be a great companion for other young kitties in your home. With just a little extra TLC we know she'll come out of her shell and reward you with many years of love! Mimi is spayed, microchipped, current on her vaccinations, and negative for FIV and FeLV.

We're also taking part in the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop, hosted by our longstanding and super awesome pals at Brian's Home! This week, we're thankful for all this amazing stuff our friends at Lola the Rescued Cat sent for the PAWS cats. Thank you, Lola, Lexy and Mom Dawn for your friendship and generosity!

Here's sweet and adoptable Ms. Zatz, posing with the incredible gifts from Lola the Rescued Cat!

Easy Like Selfie Sunday - Lola

Happy Sunday, everybuddy! We asked the PAWS cats who'd be up for taking some selfies for this week's edition of the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop. Up stepped our sweet, gentle and flat out gorgeous friend, Lola. She pretty much nailed the assignment, didn't she? 💖

Lola is about 9 years old. She's spayed, micro-chipped, current on her vaccinations and negative for FIV and FeLV. Lola is friendly and calm, and loves her some snuggling and lap time. We're not sure how she ended up at PAWS, but it's clear she knows humans are a source of good things. Now all she needs is a forever home of her own. Could it be with you?

We're taking part in the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by our awesome friends at the Cat on My Head! Today's hop includes a special birthday celebration for beautiful Allie of Friends Furever (Happy birthday, sweet Allie!), and a commentathon to benefit Friends of Animals Sanctuary in Brevard County, Florida, so be sure to check it out (and comment)! 😸

Sunday Selfies with Kitty Koo / #BtC4A

We'd like to introduce you to our friend Kitty Koo. Look at her sweet face. She kind of looks like she's smiling, huh? And those eyes ... have you ever seen such big, beautiful peepers? :)

Kitty Koo is an absolute sweetheart who loves snuggles, being pet and playing. She's only about 9 years old, so she's got plenty more living to do, and lots of love to lavish upon some lucky adopter. Kitty Koo is spayed, micro-chipped, current on her vaccinations, and negative for FIV and FeLV. She's so ready to find her new forever best friend. Could it be you?

😺

Did you see the amazing post about PAWS, written by our blogging friend Dawn White of Lola the Rescued Cat for Blog the Change for Animals Day (#BtC4A)? If not, make sure you check it out. You will not be disappointed! Thank you, Dawn, from the animals at PAWS (and us humans who love them). :)

😺

We're taking part in the Sunday Selfies Blog Hop, hosted by our pals at The Cat on My Head. Be sure to visit them to see who all is hopping this week, and to join in on the fun, if you're so inclined!