Denny - I think this tuxedo tomcat may be the very first shelter kitty I ever truly fell in love with. He came during a really busy time at the shelter and was in an area that we used for "overflow," so to speak. He was super talkative, even a bit whiny. I'd always give in to him and open up his crate. Since he wasn't in the cat room, he couldn't run around, though. Denny was okay with it. He was happy with me holding him and talking to him, and I'd walk him around so he could look out the window and watch the birdies. Being a shelter newbie, I so badly wanted to take him home with me. I was super jealous of the very lucky people who took Denny home on adoption day, and still remember my vocal little tuxedo boy.
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| Denny and his adopters |
Flint - It'd hard to bond with a litter of kittens at the shelter. They're hard to tell apart, and you don't roll around on the floor with them or spend hours watching their shenanigans like you would at home. You take them from their crate, put them in a carry crate, clean up their awful kitten mess, reassemble everything so they can just mess it all up in record time, and then put them back. Not to mention trying to prevent escapees. They're a lot of work. So when I do mention a kitten, it's really saying something. This litter of 5 were all black and white, except for one: Flint. She was the only black cat in her litter. Convenient, but that isn't why I instantly fell in love with her. This litter wasn't as rambunctious or omigod-messy as some tiny terrors I've had. Everytime I got to Flint, she'd melt in my hand. I'd feel her purring, and hold her close. Even if she'd been playing or attempting to tumble out of the cage mere moments before, as soon as I held her, she'd want to be nowhere else. She'd paw at my fingers, look up at me with that darling face, turn her head to the side so I'd pet her chin, purring all the while. She melted my heart and made me fall in love. I wanted to sneak her out in my tote bag and never look back.
Like most kitten litters, Flint's got fostered within a matter of weeks. The foster mom was a newer foster, but she still posted a few times about her fosters. After having the litter for a week or two, she decided she had to give in and keep one of the kittens (I hear this is quite common among newbie fosters). She ended up picking Flint, and I smiled smugly to myself, thinking, "I'm not surprised!" It was a good pick!! One of her sons renamed my little midnight girl "Isavella." So Flint/Isabella was unofficially adopted November 8th, 2015.
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| Flint (center) with her litter at the shelter |
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| Flint |
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| Flint, in her foster mama's arms |
Hampton - I think he was only at the shelter for two or three weeks at the end of October (2015) and into the beginning of November. The first thing I noticed about him was that he looked like a Siamese in his coloring, but not in bone structure or size. He was gorgeous! He was also quite long, filling up most of his crate without being a fat cat at all. I introduced myself, and he was instantly friendly. He wasn't the type to come out and wander around, but was still a very good boy with a very sweet personality.
I don't know if the events correlate, but after posting his picture to the volunteer group, Hampton scored a foster home! Of all of the pictures I posted, his received the most comments, most of which were about how handsome he is. I foresee a bright future for this good-looking boy!
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| Hampton |
Kitten Litter #1 - like Flint (above), there was something special about this litter. They weren't crazy rowdy or super messy. They were all fluffy and sweet and the perfect Hallmark moment that you think of when you think of the quintessential box of kittens. It was summertime, so we were inundated with kittens galore, but this identical litter of 5 itty bitty tabbies were the stand-outs. To prove my point, they were fostered, as kittens often are, and four of the five were adopted TOGETHER! The fosters couldn't choose!!! They were named Sir-Pounce-A Lot, Nanako, Barnaby, and Kotetsu (don't ask me - I didn't name them), but how they ever tell them apart is beyond me!
Kitten Litter #2 - Currently, at the shelter, we have a litter of 5 that have essentially grown up in a crate. They are only a few months old, but we've had them for a while. We're currently looking for someone to foster them. Why they're memorable and in the "Chronicle:" they are the craziest, rowdiest bunch of furballs I've ever seen. They are constantly wrestling, tumbling, and flying across their cage. One of the three orange tabbies is the craziest, always pinning littermates, pawing at the walls, kicking all the food out of the bowl, or attacking your hand even though he's barely bigger than it. They are the messiest, loudest, most insane bunch I've seen. They keep me on my toes, and the only picture of them is one that someone else took of them during the only time they stand still - food time. These munchkins will eat 4 cans of wet food in one sitting!!!
Margaret - When she first came in, I was so taken with how pretty Margaret was. When she came up to me with affection and a demeanor that was as sweet as her face was pretty, I knew she would be an instant favorite. Laid back, but affectionate to a fault, she wasn't at the shelter long before she found her forever home.
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| Margaret |
Martin - yet another kitten who invalidated my "I don't normally bond with kittens" mantra. Yet another one that I very nearly brought home. I had a soft spot for this little grey and white face, and would carry him around. When I would have spare time after a shift, I'd lift him out of his crate and snuggle him, wishing I could keep him and snuggle him every day.
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| Martin |
Mary Ann - this mama cat came to us with her two baby kittens, who were so little that they were still still nursing at the time. She wasn't the best mama, as she liked to sit on the crate's shelf (tiny kittens are too little to get up there) and she would get so excited for attention that she would walk over her babies. But I didn't judge - Mary Ann wasn't cut out for motherhood. She was cut out for cuddle time. That was her #1 priority, whether you paid her attention or not, she was going to headbutt the heavens out of you! She was sweeter than sugar, a definite attention monger, and I loved her for it.
She found a foster home, but ended up back at the shelter when her kittens were old enough to not need her anymore. The foster held on to the kittens, though, and I felt sorry for such a sweet girl. I was sorry she lost her foster, but glad I could give her love again. She did find a home afterwards.
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| Mary Ann (during her 2nd stay at the shelter) |
Robert - During the kitten-crazy days of summer, Robert also joined the ranks. He was no kitten, but a lanky tomcat. I don't know why I was so taken with Robert. He was quite the laid-back, cool cat. He loved to stroll around, get a pet here and there, but most of all, he loved to chow down. He would even eat the dog food that was set out for one of the dogs in the iso room. Something that I can't quite put my finger on struck a chord with me about this handsome guy.
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| Robert |
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| Robert |
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