Until We Cross Rainbow Bridge Together

This week the volunteers and staff at PAWS grieve the heartbreaking losses of two very special kitties, Minnie and Kiki.

Minnie, our diminutive "cow-kitty," came to Paws in April 2009 and entered into a foster home this past May, when she was quickly entering the final stages of renal failure. During her time in foster, our sweet girl "... got to sleep in sunbeams - she had her bed in the window to see the sunrise, a spot on the bed for the afternoon sun and a perch to look out the window at sunset. She got to feel a breeze on her face and watch the birds, squirrels and chipmunks in the yard. And she was loved very much." (as quoted by Matt, her kind-hearted foster parent)

You all celebrated with us when -- in our most recent post -- we shared the happiest of stories regarding the adoption of our dear, sweet Bengal kitty, Kiki, who landed himself a wonderful, loving, and palatial home. How extremely shocked and saddened we were when his adoptive family informed us that Kiki succumbed to old age. We can't help but think back to the picture of him lounging in his courtyard, next to a book, saying, "what a life he had toward the end."

Kevin and I want to thank you, Matt, for opening your heart and home to Minnie, even though you knew her time on this earth was limited. Your strength and compassion are greatly admired and appreciated. Though our hearts broke to hear of Minnie's passing, we are so glad to know she had the opportunity to once again enjoy life outside of a shelter and in a loving home.

We would also like to thank Kiki's adopted family for loving him so much and so well, even though he was a senior cat. You are indeed very special, and we wish there were more people like you.

To our dearest kitty friends Minnie and Kiki, you will both continue to have a special place in our hearts, until the day we are reunited and walk together over Rainbow Bridge. In the meantime, please tell Bitsy, Graphite, Lady Madonna, Pharaoh, and all the other kitties that we've loved and lost that we say "hi" and that we'll never forget them, and that we look forward to that very special day...

XXOO,

Tracey & Kevin

Kiki's Wonderful Weekend Tale

We recently heard from the family that adopted Kiki, the talkative and lovable 13-year old Bengal cat we wrote about back in April. It looks and sounds to us like our pal Kiki is living the good life. We've included below the message and picture we received from his forever family. Don't you just love a happy ending? :)

Kiki bonded to me before the end of the first day; so we bailed on the crating for a week, and all of that. He loved his nice new bed and never looked back. I ended up getting horribly sick the very day we got him and spent the first night in the ER, and when I came home he was my constant companion, sitting with me outdoors in the garden with our bulldog. He and Samantha (the other cat) took about a week, and now they're quite friendly, certainly no hissing or anything like that, but the love affair is between me and Kiki and Kiki and Norman the Bulldog. They spend HOURS in our enclosed garden, whenever I'm not home. Our children LOVE him, and he is fabulous with them. He has been the topic of every school project and picture. In the morning I let him out from downstairs and he leaves Samantha alone and joins the hustle bustle. I have a tea, he enjoys one slice of organic chicken meat that I'm making for lunch boxes, then we go room to room and wake up the kids. He LOVES a good cuddle, so several times a day that has to happen. But I think he loves the action of our house, and I think he REALLY loves the very safe and secure garden environment with all the flowers, trees and birds (without any of the danger). So, I've fallen in love with a 13 year old cat, he's heaven. He's the most intelligent, sweet natured animal I've ever met. We're trying to give him the life of a king! Thank you so much, it was a great match-up. Hope all is well! – Liz A.

Have a great weekend! :)

Pepper the Queen!

GREAT NEWS!

Pepper is the co-winner of the "Best Picture" category in Petfinder's first ever "Whiskers Awards" photo contest!

Thank you to our blogging friends, blog followers, family and friends who so faithfully voted for this spicy senior. We were very moved by your willingness to vote daily, and to help get the word out. Pepper's victory wouldn't have been possible without you.

We hope her win will bring her more attention from potential adopters (and hopefully a forever home).

In case you're wondering, Queen Pepper is handling her new status as a world-famous cat with great aplomb. We asked her how she can be so cool about all of this, and her reply was something to the effect of, "...well, I've always KNOWN I was the Queen."

PAWS will also be receiving 20 cool “Hide, Perch & Go” boxes, which are designed to give cats control over their environment, reduce stress and help them adapt to their new surroundings, and a five-tier cat tower donated by Kuranda USA.

Thanks again for your friendship and support. We appreciate you! :)

- Tracey (aka "PAWSVolunteer"), Kevin (aka "meowmeowmans"), and all the kitties of PAWS

PAWS Contest: Best Lap Cat

The CATegory for this month's PAWS Contest is "Best Lap Cat." And the nominees are (drum roll please...):

Gadget (1st picture) - This five year old Einstein of a kitty is multi-talented. As a matter of fact, he won "best cat to have a conversation with" in our first PAWS Contest. Kevin and I have discovered that Gadget meows like it's going out of style until people give him some undivided attention. Once they do, he's quiet as a mouse. (: And we recently discovered that he likes a good lap, too! Oh how we love that boy!

Sweetheart (2nd picture) - Our dear Sweetheart may be hearing- and sight-challenged, but she somehow always manages to find a lap in her room! As soon as we sit on the floor, she's climbing right up onto our laps to stake her claim. And she'll stay there all day if given the chance. Kevin and I are hoping that an older person looking for a quiet lap cat will discover Sweetheart. Now THAT would be a perfect match.

Claire (3rd picture) - I proudly refer to Claire as my "butterball of love." And while she may be a chubby girl, she is quite energetic when it comes to luring a volunteer into her room to get in some some good lap time! Once this sweet kitty gets onto a lap, she positions herself so that she's resting her front limbs across the person's chest. (:

While all three of these kitties give good lap, we have to say that the winner of "Best Lap Cat" goes to (drum roll please) ... SWEETHEART! This girl simply won't leave a lap for anything. She won't leave a lap for food (sorry Claire). She won't leave a lap to go exploring (sorry Gadget). It's almost as though sitting in a lap is Sweetheart's calling. And for that, we offer her our heartiest congratulations!

To Sweetheart, Gadget and Claire. Your perfect adopters are out there just waiting to discover how special each of you is. We love you all!

Many thanks to everyone who voted for Pepper (and helped get the word out about voting) in the Petfinder "Whiskers" Awards contest. The winners will be announced June 30th. Stay tuned! :)

Funny Photo Friday - Izzy

Izzy says, "Don't even THINK about touching my teddy bear."

We're almost there ... please remember to vote every day for Pepper

for "Best Picture" in the Petfinder "Whisker" Awards. Thanks! :)

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Gizmo and Roxy

All of us cat volunteers love sweet orange tabby Gizmo. As you can see in this picture, so does his pal Roxy. It would be great if they could be adopted together. :)

Please remember to vote everyday for Pepper for "Best Picture" in the Petfinder "Whisker" Awards. Thank you!

Please Help Pepper Win! :)

Happy Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month! Pepper, a youthful and loveable 15-year old PAWS kitty, is a finalist in the "Best Picture" category for "The Whisker Awards" on Petfinder.com! :) Will you please help us by voting for her?

Pepper's is the sixth photo on "Best Picture" ballot. :) This spicy girl may officially be a “senior,” but she acts and looks much younger! Pepper still has a lot of life in her, and lots of love to give, so we'd really like to get her the increased visibility (hopefully en route to a forever home!) with a win in the contest. Our shelter will also win some cool “Hide, Perch & Go” boxes if Pepper receives the most votes.

Please vote for Pepper daily (voting runs today through June 21), and ask everyone you know to do the same. And if you are so inclined, please share about her on your blog.

Thank you! :)