Proud Alumni IV

 

STARSKY and JAZZ

Starsky was trapped with a number of cats living homeless in a trailer park, and Jazz was trapped as baby with two siblings. Starsky was always a bit aloof with us and Jazz was just a bit too old when trapped to be socialized into a lap cat. But they have a wonderful forever home. They've been in their home for four years now and their family still sends us notes and photos. Their progress has been a joy to see unfold. While they're not quite lap cats yet, they are devoted to their people and follow them around. They are also devoted to each other. Jazz was also very fond of his dog friend, Buddy, who passed away in August at the age of 17. Jazz grieved his loss but his life with his family is a happy one.


The top photos are of Starsky (left) and Jazz (right) when they were at the shelter.
It was a triumph to be able to touch them and stroke them.
In the bottom left photo, Jazz is rubbing up against his good friend, Buddy.

MOMMA

Momma had been a long term homeless cat in a neighbourhood where people took turns looking after her. This sweet cat was adopted within a couple of months and her family sent the report that "after the first day of uncertainty she relaxed and soon became the third member in our family. She has started to take charge of our lives. We have called her Thembu (pronounced Temboo) after an African musical called Mama Thembu's Wedding."


The photo at left was taken when Momma arrived at the shelter. The one at the right was sent to us by her new family.

ROOTBEER

Rootbeer is a big, plain black, rough-and-ready fellow who never went out of his way to court adopters' attention. But an adopter saw his sterling qualities and gave him a home. She wrote to us that "when he first moved in, he sat staring off into space, looking for all the world like he was waiting for a bus". But she says he's settled in now, and all the cats in the household get along really well. She wrote, "He's a wonderful cat, and I am lucky to have him."


SOOTIE

We received a note and photo from Sootie who now calls himself Sunny. He has a feline friend at his new home and he's made her very happy since her last friend passed away and she was lonely. He certainly looks like a Lord of the Manor compared to the photo of him when he arrived at the shelter (left) as a sad, scared little homeless cat. His new blue bandana gives him real panache!


WILBUR

Wilbur was turned in at a shelter for biting. He was being fed by some kind people until the day he bit them. That scared them enough to turn him in. Whatever occasioned that breach of etiquette, we soon knew it was out of character for Wilbur. Most likely he was overexcited at the time. He turned out to be one of the most affectionate cats we've met. His adopters agree with us and sent us a note and photos. They said, "He's turned out to be everything you said he was, and more.  I've never had a cat that would snuggle up by my face and go to sleep." Their only concern is far removed from any concern about biting. "Our only complaint is a minor one -- whoever heard of a cat with the farts?" Oh well, that's a minor breach of etiquette.


HEINZ

Heinz was one of our 'special needs' boys. He has FIV. He wasn't happy at the shelter since he had trouble making friends with the other cats in his communal room. So he went into permanent foster care. He wrote us that, "My dad bought us a remote control car, we can chase each other all over the house. I am so fast that the car can't catch me. Sometimes we just play what my dad calls fishing. (I'm not sure what that is, but I am the best at catching the string as it goes flying all over the room, (sometimes I stalk it from my paper bag hiding spot)" and "I like to lounge on my special blanket, but mostly I cuddle with my mom and let her tell me how handsome I am" and "Did you know that when you go to bed with your mom or dad you get to choose the best spot on the bed!" Heinz sounds like a happy guy. The FIV+ cats can have long happy lives.

GOLDA MYEAR

 We received an update and photos from Golda Myear's adopter:
"Golda is such a good cat. She was a bit cranky at first, but then she got very excited and started purring like crazy. Golda loves tuna and will come running when she hears the can being opened or when someone says the word "snack". She also loves catnip. Golda's favourite place to sleep is in her 'barrel'. She sometimes stays there for hours."
 Golda was with us for nearly two years before one of our volunteers gave her a new chance at a home. Golda never courted people's attention and always had a stern look on her face that hid her true nature. Even when she's purring, she still looks stern. As our volunteer is learning, she is, in fact, a very nice little cat.


DENNIS AND TAIGO

    A note from an adopter said, "Just a quick note to let you that Taigo and Dennis are settling in nicely. Taigo already rules the house and is letting Dennis know who's boss. Dennis spent most of his first day under the bed but tonight he's out and about and even trying to get Taigo to play with him. I think they are quite happy and I know I'm thrilled to be in their company."
    Now here's the background of both cats. At first, Dennis was assumed to be feral. He was so terrified of captivity that he bashed his nose bloody against the bars. Once he was loose in the communal room, we couldn't touch him for a while. Finally he became a loving purr machine. Taigo came to us from a shelter where she'd been so growly that they'd been unable to adopt her out. She mellowed quickly in our communal room. Now, the photos from their new family speak for themselves.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

MICKEY

Mickey is a tender soul who was completely devastated to lose his home. He arrived in July 2005 and lay motionless and depressed for a long time. By autumn he was still quiet and depressed. He gradually overcame his grief but he never became a really outgoing fellow. Then in April 2006 somebody came looking for a companion for their cat. From what they said, we thought Mickey would be a good choice. Within a week they sent a great report. He is making himself quite comfortable and he purrs and plays. They said, "He is such a wonderful little cat. We just love him!"


At left, Mickey was scared and depressed for a long time when he came to the shelter.
At right, he's happy and confident in his new home.

In November 2006 we had a wonderful report from Mickey's family:
"About a month ago I was surprised to have him meow at me for some breakfast. Even Thunder [his feline friend] looked surprised! Up until then he was silent. At first he hid and we couldn't pick him up for long before he started to squirm and ran away. Now we can pick him up and place him on the bed or couch beside us and he will curl up contentedly and purr. Mickey loves to play and just recently has started to curl up and sleep with Thunder! He follows us from room to room to see what is going on and gets up to greet us at the door when we come home. The change in him is amazing. He was such a sad little fellow when we met him. His confidence grows daily. I can see a beautiful sparkle in his eye now. He's just wonderful."
It just goes to show that locked inside the saddest little creature is a soul who can be happy, given time and love.


This latest photo of Mickey with his pal is a far cry from the cringing, sad fellow we first met.

SMOKEY

Smokey was one of a group of semi ferals kittens who were almost too old to socialize when they arrived. Smokey could barely summon the courage to peek at us over the rim of their basket. But he learned to trust us and found a home. His new family says, "Smokey is doing very well.  His boldness and curiosity have taken over his shyness and he is quite a character.  He is very smart and comes when you call him and understands what 'no' means." He has a cat friend and dog friend in his new home and they are getting along quite well. He's certainly more relaxed in the photo on the right that his new family sent than he is in the photo on the left from when he arrived at the shelter.


LIGHTENING

Lightening came to us on May 19 from another shelter where she had needed a note on her cage in black felt pen, highlighted with yellow, that said, "USE CAUTION" and "SCARED". A scared, unhappy cat wasn't going to get adopted any time soon, so she came to Katie's Place where we could give her more time and space. She was adopted on June 10 and we received the update below a few days later.
We adopted "Lightning" this past Saturday. First she was really quiet and even had a nap in the carrying-case in the car on the way home. When we got home and let her out of the case she investigated the main floor of the house and after walking around a bit she went downstairs and hid in a dark, quiet place for the rest of the day. Then sometime during the night she came all the way up to the bedroom and jumped onto my bedside table, then onto the bed, purring the whole while. She's got a really loud purr! Yesterday (Sunday) she hid for half the day, then came out and investigated some more, eating and drinking and going in her litter box. I gave her some Temptations treats and she ate about 10 pieces as I think her appetite caught up with her and she was feeling more comfortable in her new home. Today (Monday) she's following us around like a puppy and purring the whole while and eating and drinking lots so I think she's settling in really well. We love this cat so much already and we are so glad to have her. We call her "Lily" for short. She comes to us if we say that name and sit on the floor ourselves. We just can't believe how loud her purr is!
We just had to post this happy ending because it shows how an animal can turn around if given a chance.

We got another enheartening update on Lightening, (who now calls herself Lily) a few months later. "Lily is such a sweet cat and still has that very loud purr with a slight squeak in it. If anyone is worried about a cat scratching their furniture, I would advise they purchase a coconut fiber door mat and show the cat how to scratch their claws on it. Lily learned to do it after only three days of us bringing her home and now she uses them constantly. I have three of them on the floor in the house and she uses them always. She does not scratch the furniture at all!"


At the left is a photo of Lightening when she arrived at the shelter.
At right is a photo of her in her own home -- and she obviously feels very much 'at home'.

LILO and STITCH

Lilo and Stitch had never seen humans up close when they first came into our care, and they were two scared little kittens! Although they remained a bit more timid than the average house cat, they learned to trust people and they found a home. Their family sent us this update:
"About six months ago we adopted a couple of kittens from you named Lilo and Stitch; a pair of semi-feral kittens that needed a home. We met them and fell in love, and brought them home. At first, they were scared of everything, including us, but after a slow introduction to us, our house, and our lives, they have settled in nicely. Now, they are the most playful, affectionate, fun-loving cats you could imagine. They have been re-named Sherman and Honey and they are the happiest cats ever. We love them so much, and are so glad we could give them a good home. I also love that they are brother and sister; I think having two cats is so much easier, and so much more fun than a single."

Lilo and Stitch were caged when they first came into shelter care (left photo) so they couldn't hide from us.
They learned to trust people and now, as the photo from their family shows (right), they are completely comfortable in a family.

MADDY

Maddy didn't have to wait very long for a home. She was lucky -- and relieved! She came to us as an indoor bunny so we set her cage up inside the shelter between the cats' communal rooms. Maddy seemed to look around and think "Uh oh, I'm surrounded by cats!" Now she's happily settled in her own home with a pal she can relate to much better.

The top left photo was taken at the shelter where Maddy seemed to be self conscious about being the only bunny in the room.
The two right photos show her happy in her new home.

GUNTHER and TESS

Gunther and Tess, who now call themselves Kermit and P.C., shared a foster home though they weren't siblings. Tess was a scrawny orphan who had to be bottle-fed. Like several of our alumni, they are supporting Katie's Place's efforts to build a new shelter.


Inset are photos of Kermit and P.C. when we met them.

HARLEY

Harley had a tough life. When he came to us, he'd had his tail amputated because it was damaged when some kids tied him to a fence by his tail. He eventually got a new home. Then he lost that home when he didn't get along with the new dog. He was miserable when he came back to the shelter. But he got another chance at a home of his own. We received an update and photos, and we're sure Harley's a happy fellow at last. His family says, "Harley has lived with us for 6 months now and it feels like he has always been here.  He was scared and confused at first, but now, well, as you can see, he is completely relaxed.  He has his own pillow on the bed, a chair downstairs that he has claimed as his, and sunbeams to stretch in.  Thank you for saving him so he could be a member of out family!"


BUDDY AND SAMPSON

Buddy and Sampson both have FIV and were adopted together a year ago this month. We've heard that they're doing very well. They're both plump and robust and loving their home.

As you can see, Sampson likes to assist with computer work.


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