Some Saturday (& Sunday) Sparkle

This is our adoptable and oh-so-handsome buddy, Sparkle 2.  This mellow, long-haired fellow really enjoys hanging out whenever we visit his room at PAWS.  He's friendly, sweet and good with children, but he asked us to tell you all that HE'S NOT PICKY ... he'd be just as happy in a home that only has grown up humans. :)

Even though Sparkle 2 is on a special diet because of allergies, he's got an otherwise clean bill of health. He's about 8 years old, neutered, and up-to-date on all his vaccinations.  He has also tested negative for FIV and FeLV.  Come meet him and fall in love today. :)

Wordless Wednesday - What's Up?

What do you see, sweet and pretty Patches II?

In case you're wondering, Patches II is checking out her brother Rusty on a higher level of the cat tree (before she flipped over, leaped off the tree, and raced top-speed around the room ... ha ha).  This wonderful bonded pair is still waiting for a forever home.  Need a pair of bed warmers? :)

(note: yes, there are TWO cats named "Patches" at PAWS.  Go figure!)

Easy Like Sunday - Patches

Here's our friend, Patches, wishing everyone an easy Sunday with a smile. :)

 

Pretty Patches is still waiting at PAWS for her forever home.  Come meet her today!

A Special Message from Angel Sammy :)

Hi everybuddy! It’s ME, Angel Sammy, visiting from Rainbow Bridge with a special and important message!

Did you know that today, October 16th, is National Feral Cat Day?

I happen to know LOTS about ferals, since I used to live in a feral cat colony (before I came to PAWS, where my mom and dad adopterated me from).

National Feral Cat Day was started in 2001 by Alley Cat Allies -- the amazing group dedicated to helping feral and stray cats across the nation. The people at Alley Cat Allies are also experts about Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), where cats who live outdoors are humanely trapped and checked out medically, spayed or neutered and given their shots. Some of those cats are found to be friendly (like me!), and are put up for adoption.

Cats who are truly feral and unadoptable are released back into the areas from which they came, or into managed feral cat colonies, 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 cats are less apt to fight, and don't have to deal with stresses like mating, pregnancy, and kittens being born.

I sure hope you liked my message for today!  Please consider helping the feral and strays in your neighborhood.  And tell them your pal Sammy sent you!

Hugs and headbonks,

Sammy

Easy Like Sunday - Sweet Moosey

Here's our own sweet Moosey, enjoying a peaceful, easy Sunday on his favorite ottoman.

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Moosey and his new sisters Gracie and Zoe are still getting used to each other, but definite progress is being made.  This week's face-to-face meetings have been going well, aided greatly by yummy chicken and lots of petting and praise. :)

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We're featured this week over at the awesome Pet Parade!  Thank you, Rascal and Rocco (and Mom Leah)!  Check out all of the fun here!

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Catching up on Awards (Finally!)

We're always incredibly honored whenever our blogging friends give us an award.  Which is why we feel terrible about being so far behind in posting about the ones we've received in 2013.  We're so far behind, in fact, that we've created this collage so that we can express our gratitude to those who were kind enough to bestow us with these awards.

(biggify to better see the awards)

Here are the awards we've received this year, along with a little something about each of our friends who gave them to us (clockwise, from the upper left hand corner):

The Reality Blog Award and the Very Inspiring Blogger Award, both from Oz the Terrier.  Oz is a Cairn terrier from South Florida, who was rescued from a puppy mill. He is a good pal, and a master at crafting limericks.  He was also a finalist for "Funniest Blog" in this year's Petties Awards!

The Illuminating Blogger Award, from Purr-sonally Speaking and The Kitties' Blog.  Purr-sonally Speaking is written by our friends Trixie and Caspurr, a wonderful pair of kitties who live with their mummy in Jerusalem, Israel.  We were also friends with their angel brother and sister, Possum and Pixie.  The Kitties' Blog is about our pals Rudy, Buster and Sam from Ohio.  We first met them through their mom, Cindy, and her beautiful blog called Art, Books, Tea.

The Super Sweet Blogger Award and the Dragon's Loyalty Award, both from the super sweet and loyal Kitties Blue (their terrific blog is called The Cat on My Head).  They live in Roanoke, Virginia, and there are EIGHT of them: Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo!

The Copper Sun Team Readership Award, from both Twinkletoe Tails and Thoughts and Mewsings of the Cat from Hell.  These are two of our bestest blogging buddies.  Twinkletoe Tails is all about the fun adventures Oui Oui, Mica Minnie Moo, Julie and Carl have at their house in Maryland, with occasional appearances by The Girl and The Mom (who we got to meet in person at BlogPaws!).  And beauteous Siamese cat Nellie (aka the Cat from Hell), is a former rescue cat from Canada.  We think she is actually NOT so hellish.  Nellie is always so kind and thoughtful, and we love her, her brother Kozmo and sister Jo-Jo, and their hairy, slobbery (dog) sisters Cinnamon and Bob.  

The Why I Love Thee Award, from Mewsings of Garden Cottage Cats.  These kitties - Sunny, Angel Penelope, Gabriel, Lorelei Avalon, Larry, Ana, and Aurora Rose Avalon - live with their Mom and Dad, who have the most beautiful and enchanting garden!  They are wonderful friends who visit our blog often, and always with such kind words.

The Shine On Award, especially for Gracie and Zoe, from their honorary sister Willow at the Cherry City Kitties.  Willow and her brothers Harry, Dexter and Tipp live in Traverse City, Michigan, and are Moosey, Gracie and Zoe's official honorary sister and brothers!  When our Angel Sammy went to the Rainbow Bridge, Harry, Dex and Tipp didn't want Moosey to be lonely, so they asked if they could be his honorary brothers.  And then, their mom and dad adopted Willow, and Gracie and Zoe came to live with us.  So now all the kitties have LOTS of honorary brothers and sisters! Dexter and Willow are also in the Tabby Cat Club with Moosey. :)

Thank you again to our thoughtful friends who gave us these awards.  We are sorry it took us so long to post about them, and hope you will forgive us!

Have a great weekend, everybody. :)

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Buddy

Buddy is another of our friends for whom the transition to shelter life has been difficult. But love and kindness are powerful tools, and this mancat is gaining confidence and learning that the PAWS volunteers and staff are A-okay.  He and I had a real nice time hanging out last weekend!

We have no doubt that Buddy would absolutely blossom in a forever home.  This handsome dude is about 9 years old, neutered and up to date on all his vaccinations, and has tested negative for FIV and FeLV.  He'd do best in an adult-only home, and could be perfect for a retiree. :)

Easy Like Sunday - Pumpkin

Who's this hiding under this fleece bed?

 

Look, it's our beautiful friend Pumpkin!

Oh, hello.  May I please go back to my nap now?

Pumpkin is a sweet and gentle ladycat, who is a little bit shy until she gets to know you.  But once she does, you'll have a best pal for life.  She would do well in a quieter home, without other pets or small children.  Pumpkin is about 8 1/2 years old, spayed, and up to date on all her vaccinations, and has tested negative for FIV and FeLV.  Come meet her at PAWS!

Wishing everybody an easy Sunday - just like the one Pumpkin is enjoying. :)

FURever Home Friday!

Hip hip hooray!  It's time for another edition of FURever Home Friday!  It's been a while since our last adoption update, and we're happy to report that a whole bunch of PAWS cats have found homes of their very own. :)

Do you remember Mr. Daisy (who looks like a little version of our pal Katie)?

Yes, Mr. Daisy!  You've been gotcha'd!

He's been adopted!

And handsome but shy Quinn found a great foster home, where he'll have a much better chance to blossom and learn to trust humans.

Here's the full list of those who joined the most recent PAWS parade of graduates:

Bender

Carmela

Cynthia

Dalton and So So (together)

Fry and Scruffy (together)

Gracie and Zoe (together, of course)

Hernandez

Horatio

Jack Sprat

Leela

Lightning

Mimi and Malcolm (together)

Mr. Daisy

Peter Piper

Phoebe, Ross and Joey

Quinn

Tinker Bell

And just to make extra sure your weekend starts on a high note, here's a "Happy Tail" about one of our favorite PAWS alums...

Jasmine is doing great! I call her Jazz for short, which she responds to quite well.  She lets me pet her all the time and loves coming over and sitting near me while I'm on my couch. She even lets friends pet her after making sure they're okay. Jazz eats all her food and always uses the litter box.

I'm very happy I was able to adopt her! Here's a recent picture of her at my back door, which she loves to sit at, soak in the sun, and watch outside.

Have an awesome weekend, everybody! :)

Tabby Tuesday - Molly

Good golly, check out our pretty and adoptable friend, Molly!

Molly is a sweet and talkative lap cat.  And just look at that face - isn't she adorable?

 Molly is about 4 years old.  She's spayed, microchipped, up-to-date on all her vaccinations, and has tested negative for FIV and FeLV.  AND she's ready to meet her new BFF.  Is that you? :)

Up in a Tree

It's a full (of adoptable kitties) house in the PAWS Room 7 cat tree!  That's active Igor, taking a break up on the observatory deck; handsome orange tabby Lenny, snoozing on the rooftop lounge; and sweet and gentle Sioux, relaxing in the cozy garden apartment.

Have a great weekend, everybody! :)

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Matt

Our friend Matt is handsome and available, but very timid around people.  He's about 2 years old, neutered, micro-chipped, and up-to-date on all his vaccinations.  Matt has tested negative for FeLV and FIV, and gets along well with other cats ... perhaps you know somekitty who needs a new best friend? :)

Easy Like Sunday - Gem

Beautiful Gem is a real sweetheart, but she doesn't always show well to potential adopters because she's shy around new people.  She's taking it easy today, and dreaming of a nice, quiet forever home and a person of her very own.

Arrghhh! It be Meow Like a Pirate Day!

Shiver me-ow timbers, fine mateys!  Today be "Meow Like a Pirate Day" on Ye Olde Cat Blogosphere!  We (Captains Moosey, Gracie and Zoe) be taking to the high seas in search of a most wonderful treasure - real-life forever homes for all of our amazing and adoptable PAWS (where we learned all of our pirate skills) kitty friends.  There be friends a plenty and a wealth of provisions - tuna, shrimps, chick-hen, ham, cheese, catnip, cat milk, temptations, and lots of toys, cat scratchers, feathers and beds - for the journey, so join us as we set sail!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Getting there

Despite their initial no-hiss, no growl introduction, the cats have let us know they still have a few issues to work out.  Zoe is timid when it come to interactions with Moosey.  This is an improvement, since she was scared before.  And Gracie is protective of her sister, so it seems that getting Zoe and Moosey to be okay with each other will be a key.  Moosey is fascinated by, and curious about, his new sisters.

Gracie and Moosey on the same bed!  Zoe was hiding in the other room...

Tonight, we all had another nice hour of together (in the same room) time.  We'll take it at the kitties' pace, and know we will get there eventually.  (Sorry for the quality of the second photo, which was taken at night.)

Sweet Girl Saturday - Biddy

Do you remember our beautiful friend Biddy?

 Biddy has made incredible and amazing progress since she's been at PAWS.  Now all she needs is a forever home.  As you can see from these pictures, she enjoys people and loves nothing better than a nice warm lap and some gentle pets.

She also likes treats and is very playful (laser toys are high up on her list of favorites).  Biddy would do better in a quieter home without young children or other pets.  She's spayed, up-to-date on all her vaccinations, and has tested negative for FeLV and FIV.  And whoever is lucky enough to adopt her is going to have a best friend and lap warmer for life. :)

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Moosey, Gracie and Zoe Update:  Moosey and his sisfurs met face-to-face tonight - with no baby gate!  Gracie seemed pretty unfazed by the whole thing. In fact, she and Moosey even touched noses briefly.  Moosey and Zoe were being a little more cautious, but there was no hissing or growling by any of the three.  At one point, all of us (the three cats, Tracey and me) were relaxing in the same room.  We'll do it again tomorrow (and try to get some pictures when we have better lighting). :)

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Solomon

Big, gentle and handsome Solomon is waiting patiently at PAWS to meet his forever family. He hopes they come soon.

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Gracie and Zoe update: Our beautiful new house panthers are doing wonderfully.  They have met brofur Moosey through the baby gates set up on the door to their room, and tonight, they explored the whole upstairs (while Moosey was downstairs).  They both like laying on top of us, love playing (especially Gracie), and enjoy sitting in the window and watching Bird and Squirrel TV.  For his part, our sweet Moosey seems pretty calm about his new sisfurs.  We're giving him lots of extra attention, so he knows we love him just as much as we always have. :)

The Big Reveal!

Here it is!  The big announcement you've all (especially Moosey) been waiting for...

We're excited to welcome not just one, but TWO new kitties - Zoe and Gracie - into our loving home!  You've seen these sweet and beautiful sisters here on our blog before, as they've been waiting patiently at PAWS for nearly three years.  Why so long?  Maybe it's because they're older (about 12 years old).  Or maybe because they're black.  Or maybe because they don't always "show well" to potential adopters (they can be sort of reserved around people they don't know).  Or maybe because they needed to be placed together.  We're not really sure, but we know they are wonderful cats, who are greatly loved by the shelter staff and volunteers alike.

We also know they sang a MIGHTY kitty song the whole ride home.  And that they are adjusting brilliantly to living here after just one day - especially Gracie, who confidently walked out of the carrier like she's been here her whole life:

Moosey, Gracie and Zoe have already seen each other through the cat door window we have on the guest bedroom door.  In fact, you can see Moosey's cute face as he peeks at his new sisfurs through said cat door at the beginning of the video.  Their collective reactions have ranged from "meh" to "hmm, that's a cat ... sort of interesting."  We think this bodes well...

Here are some pictures of the girls, taken this morning. They look pretty relaxed, don't they?

Gracie

Gracie relaxing while Zoe looks outside

Zoe, sporting her new pink zebra collar :)

So now you know ... the surprise behind door number one is DOUBLY wonderful!  And when you combine that with yesterday's Petties announcement, it's been a very exciting weekend around here so far.  We hope you're having a good one, too. :)

An Unexpected Honor

Okay, we KNOW everyone is waiting to find out what exactly is behind door number one.  And we PROMISE we'll reveal THAT big surprise sometime this weekend!

In the meantime, Tracey and I have some other exciting news to share with you.  We found out this afternoon that Animal Shelter Volunteer Life was selected as the winner of the "Best Cause-Related Blog" category of the 2013 Petties Awards!

It was truly an honor for us just to be in the finals with three really amazing blogs about three really amazing causes -- Black & Orange Cats; Riverfront Cats; and Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network.  And although Tracey and I really wanted to win, we certainly didn't want to get our hopes up.  So you can imagine our surprise when our little blog -- which then-unemployed Tracey started in December of 2008 -- was announced as the winner!  And our excitement over PAWS getting a $1,000 donation from DogTime Media as part of our prize.  That will help lots of cats and dogs as they wait for their forever homes!

To our friends (in person and online alike), families, and everyone who believed in us, nominated us, shared about us, faithfully voted for us, and encouraged others to do likewise -- THANK YOU.  It's no exaggeration to say this would not have been possible without you all.

Hugs, headbonks, and much gratitude,

Tracey and Kevin, Moosey, Angels Sammy, Maggie, Graphite, Bitsy and Lady Madonna, and all the cats and dogs of PAWS (And whoever is behind door number one, too. MOL!)