Return of Two Old Friends

Two old friends were brought bcak to the store which brings us again to full capacity...Johnny and Petunia! To refresh your memory their pictures are below. Petunia is a sweet calico that was initially brought to PetSmart in September. She actually had a home but was sick and we suggested to the applicant that Petunia be picked up when she was well. The applicant had applied for two other cats as well and decided that three was too many. Petunia is a year old now so her adoption fee is $35. Johnny is a black and white male that spent some time with us at PetSmart right up until the holidays. We waited to bring him back due to an eye infection. After two weeks of meds he is doing just fine! He is about three years old.

Remember Ethan who was at PetSmart some time ago?? He was adopted last week from the Shelter!

Thanks to Tony and Larissa the last two time slots in January were covered. Below is the open times for February. As always it all mornings. Once Irene and Toni are back from their respective trips Thursdays and Fridays will not be such a problem. One date below is a Sunday. If you could volunteer for just one of these days it would be a big help!!

Thursday, Feb 2, AM Cleaning
Thursday, Feb 9, AM Cleaning
Friday, Feb 10, AM Cleaning
Thursday, Feb 16, AM Cleaning
Friday, Feb 17, AM Cleaning
Sunday, Feb 19, AM Cleaning
Thursday, Feb, 23, AM Cleaning
Friday, Feb 24, AM Cleaning

Next weekend (Feb 7) is Dog Day Saturday!! Chcek the calendar to see if you are scheduled. The following weekend is the mid-winter adoption event held annually at PetSmart. Dog handlers are needed for both Saturday and Sunday 12-3pm. Let me know if you are available.

On the right under "Shelter In The News" is the press release about Feline Frenzie February. Please feel free to share it!!

Sarah Is Adopted & Jade Arrives!

Sweet Sarah was adopted this week and left Wednesday night. She will be living with another one of our cats named Dusty who was adopted two weeks ago. She will also have two canine siblings! It is a nice family and Sarah will be happy there!

The second application received for Ricky was not approved. The applicant has a dog that apparently is aggressive toward other animals to the point it requires muzzling when brought to the groomer. I was assured the dog would be carefully watched and kept away from Ricky but that is a chance I am not willing to take. Too many things can happen. So, Ricky again has no holds!

Jade arrived on Thursday. She is an older quiet girl - 10 plus years old. She was living in a car at the airport in Erma along with another cat we have at the Shelter named Oreo. She is a polydachtal that was already spayed when she came in. She will take some time to settle in so please do not drag her out or force her to co-mingle. Let her assimilate on her own terms. For now she will need privacy.

In February we will be offering reduced fees on cat adoptions to make room for the inevitable influx of cats and kittens in Spring. We are calling it February Feline Frenzy! The adoption fees for the month will be posted so everyone is aware of them. The fees increase from $12 for Lincoln's birthday to $14 for Valentine's Day to $22 for Washington's birthday to $29 for leap year.

I have been getting a lot of positive feedback from everyone concerning the cleanliness of the adoption center. Very good to hear!!! Thank you all for your cooperation. This week we began to pick up litter pans and toys, sterilized them at the Shelter and returned them.

Gabbano's application has been approved and he will become the prized possession of a 7 year old girl!

Last night Ruth took a hold on Steel and the application has been forwarded to the Shelter. It will be processed once we receive confirmation that the landlord allows pets.

I have three open dates this week so PLEASE let me know what you can do:
Tuesday, January 24, PM Cleaning
Thursday, January 26, AM Cleaning
Friday, January 27, AM Cleaning

Once Irene and Toni get back from extended vacations we can get the Thursday and Friday mornings covered a lot easier! Until then please let me know if you can help.

Big Cage Gets Filled and Old Friends Get Adopted!!

Two young sweeties are in the big cage now...Laura and Lotti. They were born under a deck back in August and have been at the Shelter ever since. These siblings are very friendly and don't mind being held! They will love to curl up and snuggle with everyone they meet. Laura is a tiger striped female and Lotti is a black male. We really would prefer they go home together as they are totally bonded to one another. Adopt one and the fee for the second is waived!

Great news!!! Carter was adopted yesterday from the Shelter! The applicant originally put a hold on Ricky at PetSmart. Then she met Carter at the Shelter and fell for him. No worries - Ricky is a love and will get adopted quickly, I'm sure. Keep your fingers crossed - an application was received for Gabbano yesterday. We are still waiting on supporting paperwork and hoping for the best.

Welcome to three new PetSmart volunteers who were trained Friday afternoon...Robin, Irene and Kathy! We are happy to have you!!

OK...the dreaded new procedures...I don't think it will be so dreaded or complicated after all. I think we are just about under control and it should not be difficult. I met with Stacey yesterday and everything will be set up and implemented February 1. A two gallon bucket will be placed in the back room on a shelf along with two dish racks. The evening cleaner and adoption table cleaners will simply fill that bucket with one gallon of water and watchdog NF - a line will indicate on the bucket where that is. You then insert a hose that leads from the disinfectant into an injector on the side of the faucet and turn the water on. The system itself will automatically provide the proper ratio of disinfectant. The bowls will be placed in the bucket to soak for a minimum of ten minutes, rinsed and then left to air dry on the racks provided. (It is important to remember to disconnect the hose from the faucet or you will be rinsing with disinfectant.) The bucket is then emptied right there. If you are not able to pick up the bucket and empty it a store associate or manager will gladly do that for you. Any questions please let me know. I apologize for any inconvenience!! By the way...the new District manager was in the store on Thursday and inspected the adoption center and was very impressed!! Kudos to all of you!

Also, we have changed litter. This new litter does not appear to generate as much dust.

PLEASE...since bowls will be emptied every day it is very important that we not over feed. One half cup per cat in the morning should be plenty. If there is plenty of food left in the evening please do not throw it out - simply transfer it to the new bowl and make sure that bowl goes back to the exact same cage.

Calendar dates still open:
Jan 20, Friday, AM cleaning
Jan 24, Tuesday, PM cleaning (recent cancellation)
Jan 26, Thursday, AM cleaning
Jan 27, Friday, AM cleaning

The next adoption event at PetSmart is the weekend of February 11. Dogs will be at the store on both days. More detail will follow as the date gets closer.

We Are Back In Business!!!

Happy New Year, Everyone!! We are officially back in business at PetSmart. When you arrive you will see that for the most part we have new arrivals. I know everyone gets attached and hates to see their favorites go but don't worry! They are fine at the Shelter.

Caramel was adopted right after Christmas. We did receive an application for him and Carter together on Christmas Eve. After a week and numerous attempts to contact the applicant - including knocking on her door - we received a second application for Caramel. Caramel was approved and went home where he will be the only pet and will be spoiled rotten. Three days later the original applicant finally called and advised she had seen a missed call on December 28! Well, you know what they say...things happen for a reason!

Two of the cats returning you already know. Remember Ricky?? He is a long haired black mail and is a sweetheart. He came into the Shelter in late July at twelve weeks old. He will be wearing a blue collar because another long haired black male is scheduled to come down this week. Here is Ricky if you don't remember him:

Also returning is Johnny. He left the Wednesday after Christmas and had developed an eye infection. He has been on meds since and hopefully will be back this week. A cage is reserved for him! Feel better soon, Johnny!

Snowball is a black and white female about five years old who came to us in late October. Her owner was evicted and was living in a car with her. She is sweet and loves attention but does not necessarily like being picked up. Then again...how many cats do?? Meet Snowball:

Steel is gorgeous!! He is just over a year old and is gray male. It appears he was shot by an arrow and you can see the scar on his side. You will love him!! Here is Steel:

Sarah is a four year old friendly torti who is a sweetheart. She loves getting attention and will purr away and let you know how pleased she is!! She came into the shelter in late September.
Here is Sarah:

Last but not least is our boy Mo. Mo came into the Shelter in August because of the reason we hear so often..."the baby is allergic." He is only two years old and is a playful little guy. He may appear to be shy at first but he comes around. He still is trying to figure out what he did wrong than landed him in the Shelter! Hi, Mo!

So, there you have it...the new line up for 2012. Please keep the doors between cages closed for now as these guys are all singles. Let them settle in and see who likes what and who. Remember...a stressed out cat often turns into a sick cat. Being forced into a living situation with no control and no ability to find solitude can stress a cat out. They are delicate animals!!

The big cage is empty but not for long. The two slated to go looked like they may have a slight eye infection so we decided to wait on them.

The following dates need to be filled this month - yes, most are the dreaded Thursday and Friday mornings!
Thursday, Jan 12, AM cleaning
Thursday, Jan 19, AM cleaning
Friday, Jan 20, AM cleaning
Monday, Jan 23, PM cleaning
Thursday, Jan 26, AM cleaning
Friday, Jan 27, AM cleaning

Let's hope 2012 is a great year for adoptions!!!!