Gaia & Sheer Khan Go Home!!

Gaia and Sheer Khan went home on Saturday. Gaia has been living in a cage since April so this is absolutely wonderful news! Her new mom promised to be patient and slowly introduce Gaia to her new surroundings. Can you imagine what this must feel like for Gaia? Finally she will be able to stretch out and run around!

Sheer Khan's new parents were so excited to be taking him home! I lent them my big carrier to make him comfortable for the ride. Should they bring it back and you see it in the adoption room please let me know.

Clairy seemed to be having an ear issue yesterday so today she went to the vet. She was treated for ear mites. The vet cleaned her ears and applied medication. For the next four or five days please do not let her out with the other guys. She is free to roam on her own, though!

Tracey spoke with Sashimi's dad on Sunday. Sashimi is now known as Triscuit and is doing really well. Tracey was told that when she first was brought home she hid under the bed for only about fifteen minutes. Then she came out and has been a wonderful companion ever since! Isn't that great news?!!

Three new cats arrived on Sunday. Lena is a black and white female and is a sweetheart. Letitia is a torti and is also a sweetheart. Both settled right in and started to play right away. Letitia and Lena are under a year old. The third is a black and white female about two years old named Jellybean. She was a little nervous on her first day. She just needs a little time to settle in and will be fine. Jellybean is the one with the white stripe between her eyes.

The Short Man Goes Home

Yea!! Shortie left for his forever home on Wednesday night! He is such a great cat and will be a loving addition to his new family. We all knew it was inevitable that he would find a good home. He deserves it.

An application for Sheer Khan has been approved and he will be picked up on Saturday. I am hoping to have some new guys brought from the Shelter on Sunday.

Here is a helpful hint on removing hair from the fleece blankets. Get a paper towel damp - not wet, just damp - and brush along the fleece. The hair will all sort of move forward and you can pull it off. The fleece does not absorb the moisture. Thanks to Barb and Larissa for bringing blankets home to wash on Wednesdays!

The February calendar is complete! It is always nice to see every shift covered this far in advance!

Three Leave - Three Arrive

Eanie, Meanie and Miney all went home together Wednesday night. They will be living with three little girls and two dogs. Sounds like mom and dad are going to have their hands full!! The family originally came into PetSmart for one cat and after reading their story decided to take all three kittens. How great that the litter is staying together!

Marigold, Gaia and Lavender arrived on Friday. Marigold and Gaia are both in the Open Your Heart And Home Program. Marigold is a long haired pretty girl. She enjoys being petted and held and brushed but will let you know when she has had enough by gently biting your hand. Between her and Sheer Khan there is alot of brushing to be done!

Lavender is a gray tabby and is a real sweetheart. She is friendly and loves attention. She is also solid as a rock! Pick her up and see what I mean!

Gaia (pronounced "Guy - a") is a big sweet black cat. She appeared to be scared and nervous when she first arrived so please give her a chance to settle in. She enjoys being petted and groomed but will sit next to you rather than on your lap.

For now keep these three alone in their cages until they have settled in. All of them have been in the shelter for several months and have not been sharing cages with other cats. See how they react when exposed to the others and then we can determine which doors to open. I think Gaia and Lavender will be able to share eventually. In the shelter they had side-by-side wire cages. I am not certain how Marigold will do with the others.

So far I think the blankets are working out well and the cats sure seem to enjoy the comfort. To give them more room I replaced the larger litter box with the smaller thin plastic one if the cat is occupying only one cage. If you see the need for the bigger one replace it.

As of now the Shelter plans on sending dogs to PetSmart this Sunday during the hours the adoption table is open. Shelter staff will be staying with the dogs. Hopefully this will become a regular occurrence on weekends.

The February schedule is just about complete. Coverage is needed for the following mornings, Thursday 2/7, Monday 2/18, Thursday 2/21 and Saturday 2/23. Someone is needed for the adoption table on Saturday 2/16. Let me know if you can take any of these dates.

Here is Gaia (can't really see her) Marigold and Lavender.

Litter of Three & Big Boy

On Friday three siblings arrived at PetSmart and now occupy the big cage. They are Eanie, Meanie and Miney. The three are approximately sixteen weeks and have been in foster care since the first week of October. Eanie and Meanie are female gray striped tabbies. Miney is a male and is solid gray. They wrestle and play and groom each other and sleep in a big ball. They put on quite a show all weekend. A hold was put on all three by the same applicant on Saturday as well as a second hold on Meanie. Both applications are at the Shelter being processed.

On Saturday big Sheer Khan arrived. He is a big long haired guy and is VERY vocal! You will love him! A hold was put on him on Sunday and that application is at the Shelter also.

A vet tech from the Shelter checked Clairy's eye and she was given the okay to remain at the Adoption Center. In addition Shortie's eyes were cleaned and he, too, was given the okay to stay. I can not believe Shortie is still with us! He is a great cat!

Crystal from the Shelter stopped by and trimmed the nails of those cats who would cooperate. Glory wanted none of it so did not get a trim. Clairy ceased to cooperate after one paw. Sheer Khan had a big mat on his tail which Crsytal cut off so do not be alarmed by what appears to be a bald spot on his tail.

A new volunteer is being shown the ropes tomorrow night. Welcome, Sue!!

Meet the litter and the big guy:

Since I've Been Gone...

Wow! Everyone did great in my absence! As I said before...you guys don't need me! Hazel and Sugar went home on Saturday and Scout went home on Sunday. Hobo is doing well and will be joining Sugar in a few days. Arrangements are being made for new guys to come to PetSmart on Friday.

Shorty got a hold on Sunday and the application is at the Shelter being processed. I will keep you posted on how that goes.

I have gotten several reports that Clairy may have an issue with one of her eyes. The Shelter is aware of this and someone will be down to look at it and get her to a vet if necessary. Remember, if you see something that looks like it needs to be brought to the attention of a vet tech call the Shelter during normal business hours seven days a week. Note in the book what you observe and that the Shelter is notified. If you see it in the evening send me an e-mail and I will call the Shelter in the morning.

Larissa's mom has been kind enough to custom make fleece blankets for the cages. They will be put in for the first time this week. I think the cats will appreciate the comfort! As you know I am concerned about how a soiled blanket will look and smell. I am going to see if soiled ones awaiting cleaning can be kept in a container in the back storeroom. Several volunteers have said they will take the blankets home for washing as needed. How I will miss cutting that brown paper!!

The January schedule looks great! The only coverage needed is for the adoption table on Sunday, January 20.

Special thanks to Tracey who jumped in for me on the adoption table at the last minute when I got stuck in Atlanta!!