Two Beauties Arrive!!

So, here is our two new arrivals...both are gorgeous females with a bit of an attitude!

Molly came into the Shelter as a stray back in June.  She is just about two years old.  While at the Shelter we discovered she does not care for other cats - at all!!  She will need to be the only cat in the house.  Typical calico!  She does not care for dogs either.  When you let the cats out to play make sure no one invades her space! As you can see she is really pretty though - and she loves humans!

Miss Molly

Eliza is a three year old torti that arrived at the Shelter in late February.  She was already spayed and even microchipped.  Unfortunately the microchip was not registered so we could not track down the owner. When she first arrived Eliza did not care for other cats.  Over time while caged in the front of the Shelter where the side by side cages are only wired, she became more tolerant of other cats.  That being said...do not force her to socialize with the others.  Let her settle in and socialize with the others on her own  terms. She does like people though and will sit with you and snuggle!

Both of these cats are "2014" models so their adoption fee is $29.99.

Eliza

We decided to move little Bridgette onto the first tier so she could have company.  She is now with Tux, Laney and Lacey.  The two new divas are on the top tier with two cages a piece.

Help is still needed for the morning cleaning on Monday, September 29.  Please let me know if you are available.

Little Sick Guy Picked Up

After receiving a report that Boy and Bridgette both had runny eyes we went to the store today to see how they were doing.  Boy definitely has an eye issue.  Bridgette looked fine.  So, we brought Boy back to the Shelter.  In the mean time Brandon is doing better. 

I was asked what happened to the applications we received for Tiger.  I think there was some confusion...two different people expressed interest in Tiger at the adoption table and took applications with them. Sadly neither party followed through.  There is no pending applications on Tiger.

I was also asked if it was okay for Laney and Lacey to be adopted separately.  Yes, it is.  Ideally someone would take both of them, however it is not necessary. 

We do have cages ready and will be filling them tomorrow - Tuesday.  Most likely it will be with adult cats.  I'll introduce them once the final decision is made!!

The Princess Goes Home!

Princess Sophia went home on Wednesday night to a family of five - all adults.  She is the only pet in the house so will be lavished with love and attention!  The family recently lost their cat of ten years and have missed a feline presence in their home!

Poor little Brandon showed signs of an upper respiratory infection so was brought back to the Shelter for some meds. As you will recall he has one eye that is chronically weepy so he looked particularly pitiful.  He actually looked one hundred percent better in 24 hours after receiving antibiotics.  The plan is to bring him back after the weekend to join the others.

Two cages are clean and ready for new arrivals.  Please make sure they stay ready.  Our goal is to have at least one adult brought down immediately.

I had a cancellation for the morning cleaning on Monday, September 29.  If you available please let me know.

On Monday I trained four PetSmart employees on our adoption process.  They will now be able to show our cats, interview people and take adoption applications when the Adoption Table is not open.  We are hoping this increases our adoptions.   All four of the employees love our cats like we do and will be committed to helping us find homes. 

If you have not seen it yet - below is the latest promotion for adoptions.  Please share it with anyone you know who may be interested!

 

Early September is always slow as families re-establish the school routine. Once everyone settles in the adoptions tend to pick up again.

In the mean time...Fall starts on Monday!  Enjoy the crisp air and the vibrant colors!
                                   

Weekend Update

Dogs were at the store all weekend and behaved quite well!!

 

Brandon and Bridget needed to be wormed so that was done Saturday afternoon.  Do not be alarmed if you see anything in their litterbox as a result.  Judy M reported that Brandon appeared lethargic and kept to himself and possibly does not feel well.  Please let me and the Shelter know if that behavior continues.  

Tiger and Boy appeared to do fine for a while on Saturday and then Tiger seemed to have had it.  Boy was then moved to the cages with his littermates Bridgette and Brandon.  Today Boy was put back in the big cage with Tiger.  Please watch and see how that goes.  If it appears Tiger does not have the patience for him he may go back to B & B. 

Judy M also reported Tiger is sneezing.  Undoubtedly he is stressed out.  Let's hope he is strong enough to fight off a full fledged upper respiratory infection.  He is generating a lot of interest.  At least two people took applications this weekend and said they would be returning it completed to the Shelter.  Hopefully a good one pans out! 

We did receive an application for Princess Sophia that seems like a good one!  Chrissy will do the vet check tomorrow and hopefully she will go home soon.  Although Sophia may do ok with B & B when the cages are open and they are out playing - however, once confined she seems to lose patience just like Tiger. Keep her separated from those two!

 

A new volunteer was trained on Saturday and she will be doing the last two open spots in September.  Welcome, Rachel!!  We always love newcomers and are thankful for the additional help!  Rachel will also be helping with cat socializing at the Shelter.

Pip Goes Home & Gains Siblings!!

Fast turn around for our Pip!!  She went home Wednesday night and will be joining two other senior cats adopted from the Shelter in February of this year named Mocha and Nikki.  Pip's new mom is so excited to get her!  She did laughingly remark that Pip outlived her last two owners and she hoped nothing would now happen to her!!

Tiger seems lonely in the big cage so we are going to try a young, male room mate for him tomorrow and see how it goes.  Boy, a four month old kitten, came into the Shelter in May at twelve weeks.  He was bottle fed in a foster home along with Brandon and Bridgette.  In the foster home was three dogs and other cats - both young and old.  We are hoping he is just what big old Tiger needs.  Staff will be at the store with dogs tomorrow as well as handling the adoption table.  Boy will be put in the big cage and they will monitor things and make a decision on whether or not to leave him.

Princess Sophia continues to show her disdain for kittens!  Keep her door closed and away from the youngsters!

Most of the September schedule is complete.  The remaining openings are below:
Friday, September 19, AM Cleaning
Friday, September 26, PM Cleaning

Important Logistical Information!!

Stacey (PetSmart Manager) was having difficulty locating the vendor that supplies the hand sanitizer for the dispenser in the adoption room.  The vendor was located, the product ordered and received and the dispenser is now full and functioning!!  Yay!!  The small bottle of sanitizer was left on the table for those who choose to use it.

Over 40 sheets of cut paper were left at the store today and layed out so they will not roll up.  Please do not automatically replace the paper every time you clean.  Only replace it if absolutely necessary.  Filling the water bowls half way, rather than to the top,  helps preserve the paper as the cats are less apt to spill it.  Also, if the bowls are filled up to the top when we open the cages the water spills out onto the paper. 

For those who do the Adoption Table: When a cat goes home please give the adopter the cage card as well.  There is no need to save them and the adopters can keep it with their records.

There is a bald spot on the back of Tiger - between the shoulder blades.  Medical is aware of it.  It appears he had a reaction to the flea control. Tiger also is one of those cats that destroys his cage at night.  He definitely seems a bit sad or stressed.  So far no urine outside the box...which is good news.  Many customers are remarking on his size and expressing interest so hopefully he gets to go home soon.

Pip has been approved and will be leaving Wednesday night.  Princess Sophia does not seem overjoyed by the presence of the kittens - Bridget and Brandon - so do not open the door for the three to share the top row.  We will be bringing a smaller cat to fill one cage and giving the kittens two cages to share once Pip leaves.

Coverage still needed for all the Friday evening cleanings this month as well as the evening cleaning on Tuesday, September 23.  Please let me know if you are available to cover any of them. Just a reminder...for the evening cleaning you may arrive any time between 3:30 and 8:00pm.

Please remember to check your email and read the blog prior to going to PetSmart for your schedule volunteer time so you are up to date on any issues, information or changes.  Once at the store and prior to starting to clean read the volunteer notebook so you are up to speed on what things have transpired since you last saw the cats.

Thank you!!!

Post Cleaning Cats

Hopefully you all are enjoying the fresh new look and smell of the adoption center!  I did learn that some of the newly placed labels were falling off.  They were all reinforced with double sided tape on Sunday.

Ava went home from the Shelter.  She will have a canine sibling, a feline sibling and two human siblings. The two human siblings were so excited!!  In advance of taking her home one of them embroidered a blanket with her new name on it - Eva!

Please try to use a lot less litter.  On Friday afternoon we opened a 25 pound bag and put it in the bin.  This morning...less than 72 hours later...it needed to be replaced.  We all prefer this litter over the dusty old clay so PLEASE be careful!  If this litter becomes too costly PetSmart will have us go back to the clay.  Remember, just like the food, do not over do it.  Someone comes in twice a day.  Do not put any more than one level scoop of litter in the box.  It should look like about 3/4 of an inch (if that) covering the bottom of the box.

Also, after lining all the cages with the brown paper we trimmed about an inch or so off of each side.  They will now be cut to smaller sizes so can more easily be placed in the cages.

As you read the cage cards you will see that the ages of the cats appear as "12 mo or older" OR "Adult" OR "K" OR something else - rather than the actual age.  Why? Although I will agree with you all that it would be better to have an exact age on the card,  PetSmart district managers require that the cards say EXACTLY what appears on the rabies vaccination certificate.   The actual age of the cats can be found in their paperwork.  Please note that the paperwork will say INTAKE DATE.  Take that into consideration when calcualting the age.  This is the age the cat was when it came into the Shelter.  Some cats have been with us close to a year if not more. 

Here are the arrivals. You will recognize a few!

Lanie and Lacey were at PetSmart before.  Hopefully this time is a winner for them.  They are litter mates however may be adopted separately.  They are both sweet and we are baffled as to why they still remain with us.

Lacey and Lanie

Tiger is a big boy and needs the big cage to house his girth! He weighs over 23 pounds.  He is 4-5 years old and was surrendered to the Shelter due to litter box issues. This is really not uncommon for a cat this size.  Hopefully he can get some exercise at PetSmart.  Please let me know if he is urinating outside his litter box.

Big Tiger

Pip is a an 11 year old declawed calico that sadly has outlived two owners.  We do already have an application on her so some of you may never get a chance to meet her.

Pip

Tux is a six year old male and is a love bug.  His owner came upon some hard times and can no longer take care of him.  He was always kept indoors.  He did live with another cat, too.

Tux

Princess Sophia is a one year old torbi.  A Good Samaritan found her on the street and brought her to the Shelter for medical help.  They said they would be back for her and sadly never returned.  She is a love and will make a wonderful companion!

Princess Sophia

Bridgette and Brandon are litter mates well under a year old. It would be nice to see them go together however it is not required.   They were fostered togethered in a house with three dogs and several other cats.  They are resilient and love everyone!  Brandon has a chronic eye thing going on.  They came in as very small kittens without a mom.  As a result Brandon did not have her to continually clean him and help him to get his eyes opened. Unfortunately the eye is permanently damaged. 

Bridgette & Brandon

So...there you have it!!  All of the cats just waiting to meet you and to get placed into forever homes!

On Monday, September 15, at 11:00am I will be going over the adoption process with a couple of the PetSmart employees.  Moving forward a select few of them will be permitted to show cats and to take the adoption applications.  If you are interested in learning how it works let me know and feel free to join us.

And now the September schedule...below are the dates that still need to be filled.  Please let me know if you can cover any of them. Wes till could use a permanent every other Tuesday evening and a permanent something on Friday evenings.
Tuesday, September 9, PM Cleaning
Friday, September 12, PM Cleaning
Friday, September 19, PM Cleaning
Tuesday, September 23, PM Cleaning
Friday, September 26, PM Cleaning

I hope you all had a wonderful summer!  Temperatures will be dropping soon as fall is around the corner.