Tortiseshell Tabitha

Tabitha is clearly one of the most distinct and beautiful kitties at the shelter. Her black and tan mixed coat and her be-speckled eyes make her unusual and alluring.

Tabitha is 13 years old and clearly likes a slower pace of living. She walks around with patience and a little bit of timidness at first. Once she's gotten used to you, she starts making uncertain mews, as if asking for permission to make a sound.

She may take her time wandering about, but she knows where to go for a good head or ear scratch. She'll look back at you, meow questioningly, and promptly start the trek over to your hands.

I can easily see Tabitha becoming a lazy housecat who adores sunbathing by windows and stretching on beds. In addition to being a calm and collected feline, she'll be quite the art piece walking around your house!

Lavender: The Energetic Ballerina

This lovely lady is no ordinary feline. She may have a precious exterior and begging eyes, but a good 5 minutes of watching her and you know there's a little bit of calculated crazy underneath. What you first notice are her petite frame, skinny limbs, and soft walk. If only Lavender turned out her feet when she walked, you could swear she was a prima ballerina ready to attach an offending toy.

As she gingerly walks around the kitty play room, Lavender is as curious and playful as a baby kitten. At two years old I wasn't expecting her to have maintained many kitten-like tendencies, but if one little thing catchers the corner of her eye, she immediately stalks it. She likes to hide behind scratching posts and chairs to monitor her prey (likely a ball), then wiggles her behind, and *pounce* she has made a capture!!

Lavender is so playful and with so much energy, it's no surprised she is such a svelte kitty, always ready for a runway. She will keep you entertained for hours with her youthful antics and pouncing ways!

A Sad Truth

I really need to invest into a camera of my own, because I haven't been able to keep the chronicles of my ventures properly documented. Anyway, what I want to write about today is something really hit me super deeply. I had met Kelly and she had told me the good news that there had been a cat adoption, and there was a new face to see. I was really excited. I get to the cat room to greet the wonderful new face. My heart stops. I recognize this face. This face belongs to the cat that my neighbors had been pet sitting a year ago. There is no way I could ever forget that little cats face. I take her out of the pen, I read her chart and see that she is just the right age to be the cat who I think she is. As soon as I hear her meow, it's all set in.

I get her in the play room and begin to pet her and everything she does tells me it's her. She was just so happy to be out of her cage and to have some interaction. I never had a doubt in my mind that it was her. You can't forget a cat like her. Why haven't I called her by a name yet? It's because she still hasn't received one. When she was being pet sit by my neighbors, her name was Luke. We used to think she was a he, until we kept noticing that my neighbor was calling her a she. Luke is a strange name for a little girl, but that was the name her owner had chosen. Sadly, now she is without a home.

While reading her charts, I saw that her status said stray. I was a little relieved. I thought that perhaps she had gotten out of where ever it is that she was living and that her owner just hadn't found her yet. I had read that she had been brought in on June 1st, but I try to stay optimistic. I spent what time I could with Luke (currently without a name) as I could to make her feel safe and secure, and then I moved along with my day and took out other cats. I had four cats out today and felt pretty successful. I couldn't wait to get home and talk to my neighbors. I saw one of the employees and told her the situation, and that's where my happy relief fell short. She informed me that "Luke" had been surrendered. She had also just given birth to a litter of kittens. It was impossible to believe, but I knew it was true. I worry what happened to the other cat that she been with when I knew her as a kitten, whether he is back there too waiting for his chance at adoption.

I think the most important thing to learn from this is to spay/neuter your pets. It's horrible to think that there are so many unwanted animals out there that are stuck in shelters because no matter how great the shelter is, the shelter is not the same thing as a home. It hurts that I had seen this sweet little kitty start to grow into a young adult, and now I see that fate has reunited us in the last place that I would want to see her. I can only hope that she is quickly adopted! I'll be sure to post pictures of her when I get access to a camera, and to update everyone on her name!

Update: ADOPTED 7/2/2010!! The Dressy Gentleman

Tux wears his fancy suit for any and every occasion. Whether it be attacking the scratch post, rolling on the floor, or begging for love, Tux is ready for a show.

I’ve taken Tux out of his cage twice now and I have a pretty clear idea of what he likes. He likes adventure. He likes getting loved. Tux is so eager to get out of my arms and into the fun room, he almost squirms out of his suit. When he jumps to the floor his excitement overtakes him as he checks out everything in the room and can’t decide what to play with first.

Tux is a super slinky cat that appears to have taken ballet classes since birth. One of my favorite things about it him is that despite his natural grace, Tux isn’t afraid to follow his curiosity and risk looking silly. It’s an awesome quirk. This fancy feline loves to jump to the top of the cat scratcher and back, but needs to know that someone is always there to scratch his head and watch him play.

That actually seems to be a common trait among all the shelter cats. Some like their independence more than others, but they all want to know their human is there to love them. It’s what they’ve been without for a long time and the idea of losing that security is always in the back of their minds, until they get adopted. I wish I could adopt them all and finalize my Crazy Cat Lady persona, but I can’t. That’s where all of you come in!