An adorable face (and personality to match)!

Okay... have you ever seen such an adorable face? This photogenic little boy, who goes by the name of Frankie, is quite a charmer. But he wasn't always that way. When Frankie first came to PAWS, he was terribly frightened, and the signs of his fear (hissing, growling, yowling, spitting and lashing out) frightened us, too! (:

It seemed that perhaps coming directly to the shelter was a little too much, too soon for Frankie. So a very kind volunteer fostered him for a while so that he could get used to people and living with other cats. That seems to have been exactly what was needed, because now that Frankie is back at PAWS, he's settled down a lot, and his cute and fun personality is coming through. When he's not playing, he likes sitting in volunteers' laps and climbing the cat tree in his room.

Kev and I really enjoy spending time with this playful and fun little dude, and we know he'll do well with whoever is lucky enough to adopt him!

Still more happy endings!

Houdini

Raisin

Reggie

We wanted to share some nice updates we've received from the new forever homes of some PAWS graduates. :)

Houdini, the adorable orange and white cat who was nearly feral when he first came to PAWS, and who underwent a miraculous transformation to become the "official greeter of humans and felines alike" in his open cat room, is doing extremely well in his new home.

We mentioned before that Reggie and Raisin, two of Houdini's old roommates, were adopted together. Their new dad wrote to say that the guys are doing great. He shared that "Reggie just swaggered out of the crate and took over." He also shared that even though Raisin has been a bit shier, he's also adjusting well and enjoys play time ... everyone seems quite happy.

Congratulations to Reggie, Raisin and Houdini! We love you all, and know you'll continue to do well in your new forever homes. :)

Hooray for Ilona!

Look up the definition of "lap cat" in the dictionary, and you just might find a picture of sweet Ilona. That's why we're especially happy to tell you that Ilona has found some laps (and people to go with them!) of her very own. We'll really miss her!

It's especially gratifying to know that ending up at PAWS allowed Ilona to find her forever home. Even though she had a bunch of strikes against her (she was found wandering around on the streets ... she's about 10 years old ... she's had some weight-related health issues...), the staff and volunteers at PAWS took Ilona in, cared for her and loved her with the belief that there was a good home out there for her. Well, even though it took more than a year, that home has been found. :)

You may think that Ilona is a pretty lucky cat, but we think her new family is even luckier to have found her.

So long, Ilona. We love you!

A Squeak Celebration Sunday

We have some terrific adoption news to share. Squeak -- the sweet and adorable black and white kitty once found wandering the streets -- has found her forever home! The story of how Squeak and her new people found each other is pretty neat, so here it is in a nutshell...

A couple was leafing through their community newspaper, when they came across a picture and an elongated caption of one of the cats at PAWS. The kitty's name ("Squeak") and appearance (black and white) immediately grabbed the couple's attention. Why? Well, "Squeaky" had been the name of their beloved black and white kitty of many years who had gone to Rainbow Bridge earlier this year. The people *had* been thinking about adopting a new cat at some point, but hadn't yet felt ready. After seeing and reading about Squeak, though, they were compelled to met her. And once they did, so began the "happily ever after." Good luck in your forever home, Squeak. We love you! :)

Happy Halloween from Kessa!

With tomorrow being Halloween, we asked Kessa (pronounced "Key-sah") to show us her costume. As you can see from the second picture, she told us she's already set with the fangs for her vampire costume. :)

By the way, our pal Kessa (aka "Teefa," because of those cute fangs) now lives in one of the "open" cat rooms at PAWS. She much happier now that she's not confined to a cage (and who wouldn't be?). Kessa always makes Tracey and I feel quite welcome when we visit the room ... she's quite fond of jumping into our laps and licking our hands (she'll also settle for an arm or even a head in a pinch...).

Sweet Video of Garth and Valerie

Ever since they ended up in the same "open" cat room at PAWS, Valerie and Garth have been best friends. Tracey and I were lucky enough to capture the video below during a recent visit. As you can see, Valerie and Garth are extremely fond of each other ... as a result, we'd LOVE for them to be adopted together. Aren't they adorable?

Funny Photo Friday

Somebody looks very, very comfortable...

Hooray for Minnie!

Kevin and I are ecstatic about some wonderful breakthroughs that Minnie is now making!

I mentioned in my previous blog entry that this demure little kitty is a bit on the timid side. And even though she's still somewhat shy, she has recently taken a liking to coming out of her cage. Once Minnie's out, she revels in the attention lavished upon her by the volunteers. She loves being pet, and really enjoys it when Kevin and I sit on the floor with her. It's quite clear that she'd do really well in a quiet home, with people who understand her gentle nature.

These remarkable changes in Minnie can be directly attributed to the consistent attention she receives from some volunteers who chose to work with kitties who need some extra special tender loving care. We can't wait until we see those folks at the shelter, so that we can give them a great big "thanks!” from Minnie (and us, too!).

Feral Cat Day Friday

Today is National Feral Cat Day! Now in its ninth year, National Feral Cat Day was launched in 2001 by Alley Cat Allies, the national advocate for feral and stray cats and a recognized authority on Trap/Neuter/Return (T/N/R) — the program wherein cats who live outdoors are humanely trapped and brought to a veterinarian to be evaluated, spayed or neutered and vaccinated. Friendly cats and kittens are put up for adoption. Feral cats that have undergone the procedure are released back into the areas from which they came, with volunteer caregivers providing a managed food source and monitoring the colony to aid sick or injured cats.

PAWS has been -- and continues to be -- a strong proponent of T/N/R programs. Once a month, the shelter donates sections of its facility to FeralCare -- a local, all-volunteer group dedicated to T/N/R as the most effective way to help control cat overpopulation. FeralCare volunteers capture these outdoor kitties and bring them to PAWS, where veterinarians volunteer their time to perform the spays, neuters and vaccinations.

According to the FeralCare Website, T/N/R is the most humane and nationally accepted way to handle feral cat colonies. Once neutered, unwanted yowling, spraying, cat fights and aggressive behavior toward neighborhood 'social' cats is reduced significantly. Undesirable behavior is averted, and no more kittens will be born. As the method is implemented, the feral cat numbers will gradually decline.

Update on Eden the Cat

Eden continues to delight us with his progress. Since my last posting about him, I've discovered this sweet boy likes to play (as you can see from the above picture) and LOVES being brushed. When I sit on the floor in Eden's room, he's now comfortable enough to lay right next to me, leaning against my legs as I pet him. :)