Good Week!!!

We had a good week! Poncho went home Wednesday night and will be living with a nice family and a weimaraner. His new dad brought the dog into the Shelter to see how he would do with cats. The dog reacted very well to the cats and we are sure he will be respectful of Poncho and they will get along quite well.

Chuck and Annabelle went home last night. When Ruthann got the carrier ready for Chuck poor Tigger jumped in and didn't want to get out! I guess he has been enjoying his time with Chuck and wanted to go home with him. Chuck's family was pretty sad leaving Tigger after watching that. We need to get Tigger a home!!

Annabelle's new family is thrilled! They remarked several times on how soft and beautiful she is. She will be living with a very nice family.

Sheba is not doing so well at PetSmart. Some cats just don't do well in the "fish bowl" atmosphere or the communal living. She is exhibiting some signs of stress. She is becoming increasingly resistant to having her back touched and got a tad hissy yesterday. She will be fine with the staff at the Shelter.

Below is the trio arriving over the weekend. Jojo is a gray male and is a few years old. Not much seems to faze him! He does well with dogs, other cats and kids. He will be Tigger's new roommate. Marilyn is a sweet little calico about a year and a half old. She is another one who is pleasant and will be fine with other cats, dogs and kids. Brandi is special!! Look at her little black and white face and pink nose! She is so cute!! She is also about a year and half old. She may be a tad scared when she first arrives but I guarantee you will have her purring away if you hold her and talk to her. Although her profile recommends a home with older children please assure potential adopters that this is always a case by case basis. Some children do better than others with animals. Also, since she is a tad nervous adopters with a dog may not be a good fit. She is fine with other cats.

For now the three youngsters will continue to share the lower level. Mayhem and Sixty will continue to share their two cages. Leave the door shut between Brandi and Marilyn and give them a chance to settle in.

Next Saturday we will have cats and dogs at The Waggin Tail pet store on Route 9 in Erma for the inaugural (and hopefully annual) Howls and Growls Halloween Event from 12-3pm. Please spread the word! Our dogs and cats will be in costume! (Special thanks to Barb A for organizing this event.)

Every couple of months I need to remind everyone of a few logistical things. I hesitate to ever criticize as you are all volunteers and I would be lost without you!! The PetSmart program is very important to the Shelter cats. Let me first thank all of you for everything you do and for your continued commitment. Now...a couple of logistical reminders....

Food bowls need only to be filled half way.

Litter boxes need only to be filled about an inch to an inch and half from the bottom.

Empty the water jug before you leave.

One blanket per cage is PLENTY!

If you have time cut a few sheets of brown paper for the next volunteer if you see there isn't any left.

The November schedule looks good! Below is the dates & shifts that still need coverage:

Thursday, November 4, AM

Sunday, November 7, AM

Monday, November 8, PM

Thursday, November 11, AM

Friday, November 19, AM

Sunday, November 21, Adoption Table

Sunday, November 28, Adoption Table

Monday, November 29, PM

Let's hope we have a good weekend!!!

Welcome, Sixty and Mayhem!

Clementine knew her time had finally arrived!! Like a perfect lady she allowed herself to be placed in a carrier for the journey home. Her new mom had a cart full of welcome gifts including a new bed. So happy for her!!

Doug fit in well with all the youngsters so now all four share the lower level. Chuck and Tigger are together in the big cage and are wearing each other out! Sheba is on the top floor with two cages.

Sixty and Mayhem are the new arrivals and will be sharing quarters at PetSmart. They were surrendered to the Shelter together when their owners moved and could not take them along. Sixty is white with patches of color and is so friendly! He is 7 months old. He is like a wiggle worm that you can do anything with! He loves to be held and loves attention. Mayhem is really not as her name implies - actually the opposite. She is quiet and gentle and watches over Sixty like a mom. She is a year old and has brown and black stripes. Ideally we would love to see these two adopted together however it is NOT a must. If anyone shows interest in one or the other we need to make sure they are aware of their shared history and using the skills of a master salesman we need to encourage them to take both!!

Here they are in separate pictures as well as together.

On Friday I dismantled the big cage and took the pieces into the back store room and scrubbed them down with hot water and lemon quat. Boy do I wish the cages and inserts were not made of that textured material! It is so hard to keep it clean.

We have really been doing well since summer ended and hopefully it will continue through the weekend - knock on wood!

Happy National Feral Cat Day ^..^ !!!!!

Oh My Darling, Clementine!!!

Clementine is going home tomorrow night!! Yippee!! She is going to a very nice young family who can not wait to get her! She will live with three kids, mom and dad and a dog. I had a long conversation with her new mom and she totally understands that Clementine will need an adjustment period in her new home.

Cody went home last night. It sure didn't take him long! He left the store with a new family and a cart full of new kitty cat supplies!

Doug arrived at the store today. He is a male gray tiger - about five months old. He is one of a litter of six. Three have been adopted. He is super friendly and couldn't wait to explore his new surroundings at PetSmart. He actually seemed happy to be there! Doug's two brothers are still at the Shelter so let people know if they like him you know where to get them another!


Look ahead to November and let me know if you are available to fill in any of the empty days. There will be another adoption event at the store Friday through Sunday, November 12-14. As always I am hoping to have enough volunteers to be able to brings dogs to the store on Saturday and Sunday from 12:30-3:00pm.

Skippy and Streetz...YAY!!!!

Yes, it's true!! Skippy AND Streetz went home this weekend! Streetz went home Friday night and Skippy went home on Saturday. What a great weekend! Skippy will be living with four other cats and a dog. His new family totally understands how important it is to slowly introduce him to the new environment. Their reign in the big cage is finally over!! (Kudos and special thanks to Ruthann for "closing the deal!")

Regal went home yesterday. He was brought to the Shelter in the morning where his new family picked him up in the afternoon. Tigger was having such a good time with him all morning rolling around and wrestling! I hope Tigger gets to go soon.

Three new guys are coming today. All three are young, friendly and energetic. I suspect Sky is gonna have a ball with these new friends!

Annabelle is a cream colored female about a year old. She is a total love bug! She is so friendly and just loves attention. She will be put in the cage next to Sky and after a day or two we can open the door between the cages. I think Sky will be happy to again have company. Here she is:

Poncho and Cody are both males and although they are not litter mates they have been sharing a
cage at the shelter. They will be put in the other two empty cages with the door open. They both came into the Shelter when they were about seven weeks old and that was in mid-June. They are about five months old now. Cody is orange and white and starts to purr as soon as you look at him! Poor guy was found in a trash can. Poncho is gray and white and is a friendly little guy! Both have no problem being picked up and held and love attention. Beware when you first set them free as they are gonna love to run about! Meet Poncho & Cody:

Please....another reminder....do not put soiled litter pans in the cabinets beneath the cages. There was four in there yesterday. It is so important that the room be kept clean and not have an unpleasant odor. I know it is difficult to clean the pans in the area in the back room. Ugh. So, at minimum spray the pans down with the lemon quat and wipe them clean.

The store was totally out of paper towels on Monday. Hopefully more will have arrived today. Look in the back room or ask the manager if they have arrived. For now there is a box of disposables hand wipes to use which should easily carry us over until the paper towels arrive.

Only two openings left on the October schedule: Monday, October 11 in the evening and Thursday, October 14 in the morning. Let me know if you are available.

This was such a good week!! Boots, Streetz, Skippy and Regal all leaving is awesome! Let's hope it continues at this rate! We still have MANY kittens at the Shelter so please tell people interested that we got 'em!! Thanks again for all your help!!

Boots and Moon Go Home

Boots and Moon went home on Wednesday night. No, they did not go together. Actually an applicant came to meet Skippy and decided on Moon. Poor Skippy! But, after learning the hold was pulled on Skippy ANOTHER applicant called the Shelter and will be in tonight to meet him. Keep your fingers crossed. This new applicant is a regular at PetSmart and has seen Skippy there for a long time. Ruthann, let's see you close the deal tonight!!

The family who adopted Boots was considering Tigger as well. Unfortunately when they were introduced to Tigger he...um...shall we say...acted up a tad. There was a little scratching and some acting out so they decided to just take Boots.

Chuck was brought to the store yesterday. He is a big handsome orange and white cat with a lot of attitude!! He is really cool. Chuck is a few years old - maybe three. He has a lot of energy so will enjoy play time out of a cage. Check out Chuck below....

We will cap the number of cats at PetSmart at eight. It seems to get too cramped when we exceed that number. Right now we have four males and four females. I'm going to try to keep it a good mix like that.

Saucers is being picked up this weekend from the Shelter. Remember sweet little Lady, the gray tabby? She has been adopted from the Shelter and will live in a quiet home as the only cat. It is a perfect fit for her.

October is national Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month. We will be having a couple of special events to increase awareness of the plight of shelter animals. On Saturday, October 8, 11a-1p, we will be at the Stone Harbor Post Office with dogs and cats. On Saturday, October 16, Sandy Paws Mobile Grooming will spend the day at the Shelter pampering our dogs and instructing visitors on the importance of grooming pets. On Saturday, October 30, 12-3pm, we will be at the Wagging Tail in Erma for a Halloween Adoption Event. Volunteers are needed to help Barb A with the event at the Wagging Tail so if you are interested please let me know. In order for dogs to go Barb will need help.

The October schedule has a few holes that are listed below. Thursday and Friday mornings are tough to fill!! Let me know if you can cover any of the below dates:

Friday, Oct 8, AM

Monday, Oct 11, PM

Thursday, Oct 14, AM

Friday, Oct 15, AM

Friday, Oct 22, AM

Thurs, Oct 28, AM

Friday, Oct 29, AM