In Memory of Pharaoh the Cat

Sometimes volunteering at an animal shelter can be absolutely heartbreaking. This is one of those times.

Today is a sad, sad day for the cat volunteers and staff members of PAWS. We received word this afternoon that Pharaoh -- a sweet and gentle kitty we wrote about in September -- passed away early this morning. This charming fellow had become very ill, and was recently diagnosed with kidney failure. He was taken to a local animal hospital several days ago, and was scheduled to undergo further diagnostics and supportive procedures today in hopes he would get stronger, feel better, and be able to come back to us. Sadly, our Pharaoh was too ill and didn’t survive.

Our wish is for all PAWS animals to be adopted to live out their days with homes and people of their very own. While that didn't happen for Pharaoh, it's comforting to know that PAWS' strict no-kill policy meant our sweet friend was in a safe, warm and loving environment for the final months of his life.

We love you and miss you, Pharaoh. Rest now ... we'll see you later at the Rainbow Bridge.

Happy MEW Year!

Here's to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old; here's to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold...

Please join Kevin and me as we celebrate a flurry of wonderful cat adoptions that helped to close out 2009 on a happy note:

Neko & Jezebel

Frankie

Juna

Vine (who went to live with her brother, Raisin)

Grover

In this New Year of new beginnings, may these kitties have all the health and happiness in their forever homes! We'll miss them but they'll always hold a special place in our hearts.

Happy Meowlidays, Indeed!

Nothing gets us in the holiday spirit more than some "happily ever after" tales! We wanted to share some great messages from the people who adopted Benjamin and Hassie, respectively. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did. :)

According to the Feline Intake and Adoptions Supervisor at PAWS, "Benjamin’s new mom wants to thank us all for trusting her with such a wonderful companion. She lives in a townhouse on the water and has set up a viewing platform for him so he can sit and look outside and, in her words, fantasize about catching all those seagulls. He talks a lot. He and her other cat, Dr. Mell are still working out their relationship. She says that Benjamin is 'always on the move ... he roams all over the house and seems to love it.'"

Hassie's people wrote to let us know that "...she is incredible! she has become an important and special part of our family and we love her so much. Thank you so much for bringing her in to our lives. She loves to snuggle under any warm blanket that she can find. When she isn't sleeping, she is playing with one of her favorite toys which would include a glove that we got that has all of these little strings at the end. She is the puurrrfect pet for us!"

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you and your furry friends and families a joyous holiday season. Thanks for your friendship, and for following our Blog!

Kevin

Tracey

Sammy (PAWS alum)

Moosey (PAWS alum)

Maggie (honorary PAWS alum)

Yay for Tay!

Hip hip hooray for our buddy Tay! Those of you who've been following our Blog for a while may remember Tay, the adorable pure white kitty (who just happens to be deaf) we wrote about back in February. Well ... we thought you'd like to know he was adopted this past Saturday. :) We're so happy for this sweet and playful guy. And why wouldn't we be? After all, Tay received the thing at the very top of his wish list ... a forever home and people of his very own. Be well, Tay. We love you!

Benjamin ... Home for the Holidays! :)

Back in March, we posted an entry about Benjamin, the handsome, shy and incredibly sweet orange tabby with a penchant for scratches under his chin. During his time at PAWS, Benjamin won a place in our hearts with his gentle and unassuming nature. Well, with the holidays nearly upon us, we're happy to report that this wonderful guy has found his forever home with people of his very own. What a fantastic holiday present! Enjoy your new home, Benjamin. We love you!

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!