Chronicle of Furbabies, Part II

(moved from partner blog, originally published 4-15-15)

Spring has sprung.  Warmer weather means several things at the shelter.  (1) The kitties are shedding.  More fur is flying and more hairballs are appearing.  (2) More kittens!  We've already seen little guys from 2 days old to 4 months old.  (3) More turn-over, as more people are going out to adopt.

I don't post every cat I see.  Just the ones that have a story or a face that I'd like to keep for the memory banks.  You won't see many of the kittens here, as they get fostered rather quickly.  That means that I usually only see them once before they get scooped up.  It's the loves like Weston and Midnight that I cherish.  (My current loves are Noodles, who just got adopted, and Frosting - food naming of both cats is purely coincedental).

A shorter entry this time.  There will be another, though.




Carlie - in my last post, I told Norm's story.  He was scared and defensive and slowly improved.  When he went into foster, that improvement saw a huge growth spurt, and he got adopted shortly thereafter.  Carlie reminds me of his story.  She, too, is declawed, and came in as scared and defensive as can be.  She hid behind the bed in the back of her cage, hissed at the mere sight of other cats, and threatened to bite if you fussed around her too much.  I've included three pictures of Carlie, who I call my Carlie-bird, because the pictures alone are evidence of her slow improvement.  She is still moody, with good days and bad days, but I take my time with Carlie and have learned what she likes and what she doesn't.  She has become so much more comfortable at the shelter and has given me more trust over time.  I know that if my little Carlie-bird got a foster, she would be one amazing little girl.

10/23/15 UPDATE: Carlie was adopted by an elderly woman who loved her immensely, but had to return Carlie shortly thereafter.  She became too ill to take care of Carlie.  She is now back with us at the shelter, but she's in one of the larger crates with things just the way she likes them, and her attitude is the best I've ever seen it.  I'm still super hopeful for my Carlie-bird.

Carlie's first shelter pic

Carlie's second shelter pic

My Carlie-bird!

 Dugan - this guy was a shelter favorite.  He was a complete package.  Laid-back, but so talkative with his manly, raspy meow!  He absolutely loved his wet food, and I quickly discovered that filets were his favorite kind.  I would give him extras every time.  Dugan would give his signature meow every time he'd see you, even if he was super sleepy from eating two helpings of wet food.  He was outgoing, ready to come out of his cage and wander around while you tidied up, but also a snuggler who loved to be pet when you had the time.  He was adopted the second week of April.  <3

Dugan

Frosting - His name is just as sweet as he is.  I call Frosting my little Valentine, because you can see his pink skin on parts of his ears and his face due to his pure white fluff.  When he first came in, we thought he'd be a shy guy, hiding in his littler box.  As soon as his paws hit the floor, he was mister personality, full of confidence and affection.  He likes to be held and cuddled, loves to rub against your legs and leave some white Frosting fur behind, and he's a laid-back boy.  Even when the other cats hiss at him, he just takes it in stride and keeps going.  We found out that he is FIV positive, but like Theo, he is one of the best cats I've come across.

10/23/15 UPDATE: Frosting was adopting in no time at all, and it was one of those bittersweet adoptions - I was overjoyed to see him get a home, but so sad to see him go!

Frosting

Frosting; uncooperative for pictures

Frosting

Frosting; getting reading to scratch

Frosting getting some love (formatting wouldn't cooperate)

Hanson - another good boy, he was a hilarious, stocky bundle of love.  Hanson had a had-pitched meow and a spring in his step.  The two things that got him the most excited, though, were yummy wet food and when you got into his cage.  He would wander around while you refilled his food and scooped his litter, but anytime I got into his cage to sort the sheets in the back or scrub the shelf, he would barrel in, all excited, meowing and headbutting me.  This adorable guy was adopted several weeks ago.

Hanson

Noodles - I think it's safe to say that I was in love with this cat.  He was adopted last week, and it was one of those bittersweet times where I was so happy for him to find his forever home but simultaneously devastated that I wouldn't see him anymore.  Noodles was a regular black cat, but we soon discovered that he was a whiner.  He was frequently whining while in his cage, and with some volume.  The whining would decrease when he was roaming around, but not completely.  He wasn't a fan of wet food and toys were just okay.  When I picked him up, however, the whining stopped and the purrs began.  From then on, I would let him roam for a while each time, but I would also always pick him up and snuggle him.  Even with a face full of Noodles fur, I was in heaven.  We were fast snuggle buddies.  He would even clutch at you when you attempted to put him back in his cage.  It wasn't that he dug in and scratched or that he squirmed and became difficult to place.  It was that it broke your heart so completely that he just wanted to be held and wanted so badly to not go back in - that's why it was so hard to put him up every time.  He just snuggled closer and clutched at you.  I could have carried him around for a lifetime.

Me & Noodles

Me & Noodles

Me & Noodles

O'Reilly - his name always put the auto parts company jingle in my head, but this was one great cat.  He was on the smaller side, but also on the fluffier side.  He absolutely adored attention, and would stand up against your leg to get more attention.  He was adopted pretty quickly, but I always loved being asked for attention by O'Reilly.

O'Reilly, instructing you where to pet him

O'Reilly, distracted by doggies