A Friday Update

I met a new foster family at the shelter and rescued little "Hank". Of course, I was happy Hank is a brown tabby, but most importantly Hank had been at the shelter since October 4th, survived an outbreak of Distemper, URV, and 12 "Euthanasia Days". He's a keeper. :) He's a snuggly little guy and I hope he behaves himself with his new foster family. I've already had word that he immediately took a nap on his Foster Dad's chest. Aaaaahhh...to be loved!

Emily Grace is still at the shelter. Her "shelter cold" is much better and she's starting to eat a little bit. Last time I was at the shelter, she looked terribly depressed. This time, she was angry. When I picked her up and kissed her, she took a benign swipe at me. I can't blame her - it was very human to go through the stages of loss: Depression and now anger. Gosh, I have to get her out of there before she bites someone and THEN they'll euthanize her.

I have a new favourite that I'm trying to help. I almost hate to post his picture until I know Emily Grace is safe. I hate to detract from her plight. But this guy is pretty special:

Meet "Clarence Carter"! He's 5 months old of SWEET, SWEET, SWEET! Clarence is also blind. We think he sees shadows, but that's about it. He's a very healthy looking guy that wrapped his paws around my neck and licked my face. I'm in love. I think Clarence would do best in a home where he wouldn't have to travel too far to the litterbox. (He's using his litterbox at the shelter like a champ) Look at that pink nose! I must've kissed that pink nose a 100 times while I was there.

On a very sad note: We lost some kittens to Distemper this week. I hate when Distemper is in the shelter. Even once it's gone, I feel paranoid for quite a while. I hate to rescue anybody that hasn't been vaccinated.

I want to thank the foster parents who loved their kittens until the moment they went to the Rainbow Bridge. I hate that you got hurt. God, I really hate that you got hurt. Thank you to the rescues who continue to rescue despite the vet bills and the tears. It takes courage to continue on....and we know some rescues just don't have the balls courage to do it. They turn their back on the shelter and pretend like it doesn't exist.

But it does exist.

When Our Own Kids are Bad

I remember when my middle son was 2 or 3 years old, I'd put him in the grocery cart while I was shopping. I could keep my eye on him, and it would make grocery shopping much faster with a toddler. One day in the check out line, I noticed that the lady in front of me was looking over my shoulder and smiling. I smiled back thinking she was probably admiring my ridiculously cute little boy.

No. She wasn't.

She was smiling because Patrick had his finger so far up his nose, I thought he'd pluck out his eyeball on the end of his finger. I was horrified.

It was the same feeling of horror when I took my 22 lb white cat Ozzy to the vets today for a nail trim. "Gee Beth, you're a cat expert...why can't you trim your own cat's nails?" you ask.
Ozzy is a polydactyl. He has 7 toes on every foot and they grow in very freaky. Still...it's usually not a reason for a vet visit for a nail trim.

Dr. S took one look at Ozzy and knew what to do. He's been there with Ozzy before and went into the back. We had to put a MUZZLE on him and wrap him in a towel. Let the games begin!

It took both of us to hold Ozzy down. The sounds coming from that cat were prehistoric. He was panting (Dr. S too!), he was whirling, and twirling and spinning...We would have to stop periodically, because Houdini Ozzy could actually get out of his muzzle and come after us with his mouth wide open! I had white cat hair stuck in my lipstick and there were beads of sweat on our foreheads.

As we held him down, Dr. S jumped back suddenly. "Oh Lordie....did he bite?" No... Ozzy pee'd all over the vet. He pee'd so much it was on the floor...on the wall...down Dr. S' pants.

It's awful when our kids misbehave - human OR fur kids. I suppose Ozzy was doing what animals do when they're frightened and ticked off. Ozzy is a quirky guy anyway. There are $200.00 worth of cat beds in this house.

Ozzy's preference?

Yes, part of the decor in my family room is a Lowenbrau box. I don't even drink. Lord help the person who tries to take that box away from him.

When to Shaddap.

When I go to the shelter, I need to start reminding myself, "I do NOT have a job there." Because I'm at the shelter so often, it's really easy to get caught up in the occasional drama as I did today and make a mess out of things.

Two VERY sweet senior ladies were dropping off 4 kittens. The ladies had taken in a pregnant feral Mom and raised these kittens in her home. She brought the kittens to the shelter with great anticipation that the shelter could find them "warm and loving homes". It was obvious she loved them dearly.

When I walked out into the lobby to meet a foster Mom, I ended up telling her that the shelter was still very full and this shelter doesn't have an adoption program. There wasn't much hope. The staff must've thought, "Beth, SHAAAADAP!"

Imagine how it feels to make two sweet, grandma-looking ladies cry. It was awful. I should've assessed the situation before I opened my big mouth. I backtracked as best as I could - asked her if she could foster them, and we could find them homes, yada yada yada....Turns out, she did all she could do for this little family and is keeping the Mom and one kitten. Bless her heart.

Of course, now I'm on a mission to get her kittens out of the shelter. They are ADORABLE - fluffy, black and white angels. You can tell they were loved.

The rescue today was great despite my pie hole. Five cats were rescued - two of them went immediately to their forever home.

For those who have been asking: Emily Grace is not doing well. She's not eating and very depressed. I held her yesterday and today. She purred in my arms. I think she's giving up. (I was going to take a picture of her today, but some one stole my camera out of my car while I was in the shelter yesterday. My own fault for not locking my car.)

Maybe I need a job.

Wallowing in a Happy Rescue

I was happy to go to the shelter today and rescue a VERY cute little waif named "Walker". I remember when Walker first arrived in the shelter, he had almost NO hair and so many scabs from flea bites. I always find it amazing that a cat can remain so sweet despite being in such discomfort. Hell, I can hardly keep a civil conversation when I have a zit.

Anyway, our little man is at the vets tonight being neutered and will be safely tucked away with his excited foster Mom and Dad tomorrow night.

I'm so happy that "Merlin" is in his foster home tonight too:

I had to leave him today, but his foster parents were picking him up tonight, along with "Miller":

I was so grateful that the foster parents wanted to foster two declawed cats, so I tested out Merlin and Miller together. Not a hiss out of either one of them, thank God. I hate it when the cats sabatoge their rescue by not liking other cats. When I put them back in their cages, Merlin looked at me like "What the hell? Aren't you taking me??" I kissed them both and promised them that they would be picked up tonight. There's another little guy that I found a foster home for, but wasn't able to rescue today:

It turns out as I was looking at Ziggy for a possible foster home placement today that he has a microchip and the shelter is going to see if they can contact his family. He's been at the shelter for quite some time, but somehow the fact that there's a microchip slipped through the cracks. I'm hoping that someone is looking for him. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

I'm meeting a lovely young woman tomorrow about adopting these two little girls:

They must've been so scared when they first came into the shelter, because I saw them today and they're SO sweet and playful. I think the adopter will be thrilled when she meets them.

I've decided to leave it as just good news tonight. I have some frustrations that I'd love to get off my chest, but I think it's best that I wallow in some good news for a change.

*Wallow***Wallow**Wallow**

Disgust. Disgusted. Disgusting.

Disgust dis⋅gust  (dis-guhst)

1. to cause loathing or nausea in.
2. to offend the good taste, moral sense, etc., of; cause extreme dislike or revulsion
3. repugnance caused by something offensive
***********************************************************************
I've seen and heard a lot of crummy things at the shelter. But I think the bar has been raised after what I heard and saw today:

(Names have been changed to protect the guilty)

Dumbshit and Shithead are two Animal Control officers for the city in which I rescue. They are also a couple in their private life. Dumbshit and Shithead are known around the shelter for taking home "pets" and bringing them back when things don't work out.

Imagine my excitement when I heard that "EmilyGrace" a sweet declawed tabby was taken home by a City Animal Control officer.
"They know the perils of these cats....they know how to treat animals, right?"

"WRONG!!

EmilyGrace was taken home by Dumbshit and Shithead. For 48 hours, she was patted, loved, and no doubt slept on their soft bed. I imagined her feet padding around on carpet and feeling the luxury and the softness.

Dumbshit and Shithead have a two year old child living in the house. Rather than allowing EmilyGrace to get used to her environment, Dumbshit and Shithead claim that "Emily Grace" doesn't like kids (what cat likes a 2 year old toddler?) and.....(this is the disgusting part)...

....brought her back to DEATH ROW at the shelter!!

Now this darling little cat is sitting in a metal cage, on a sheet of newspaper, using a litterbox half the size of a cereal box. No bed. No carpet. No love. All because they only gave this poor cat TWO DAYS (after being in the shelter 30+ days) to get used to a new environment.

OK....ready for the REALLY...REALLY...REALLY...DISGUSTING PART??

When Dumbshit and Shithead left EmilyGrace on death row, they took home a 6 week old kitten to replace her.

(Oh yes, there's more...)

Not only did they take home a 6 week old kitten for their 2 year old toddler to play with (i.e. "torture") , but they took the poor thing away from it's sibling and left the sibling to die!! I showed up to the shelter right after they had taken the one kitten and the sibling was SCREAMING for it's brother. It broke my heart.

There you have it. Are you disgusted? I'm glad I don't live in the City in which these two work. I would really hate for my taxes to be paying their salary.

A Note to Dumbshit and Shithead: Stay out of my way when I come to the shelter. I'll be there to clean up the mess you left - and I don't get paid to do it.

Something Worth Smiling About

It was a good rescue day! Seven little souls made it out of the shelter and now have a chance at a wonderful life. In my dreams....they all have a beautiful life:

This little calico Mom (I named her "Jenny") and her three daughters are now safe and being loved tonight in a foster home - Thank you Simone for stepping forward to help this little family.

Cody and Puggles are safe and sound in their foster home tonight too. No more sleepin' on newspaper for these guys. :)

Rowdy boy "Marcus" can now inflict terror on his new foster family too! :) He's really sweet - just needs to burn off some energy. When I picked him up at the vets this afternoon, the receptionist said, "Shhhhh! Marcus is FINALLY asleep!!!" (Hahahhaa!) When I was waiting in the parking lot for his foster Mom to pick him up, I could hear him purring in his crate in the seat next to me. He must've known something special was happening.

For those of you who like Before and After pictures....

Could Lisa look any more abandoned and sad in this shelter picture?

Doesn't Lisa look like a Princess now?? I love her so much!

I spoke with another foster Mom on my home today and found that she had an incredibly crummy rescue day - (it was a hideous rescue day.) I hope this blog post puts a smile on her face....and anybody else who is out there walking the walk of rescue...

Content on a Wednesday Night

I'm content tonight. I spent the afternoon with 3 friends drinking coffee, eating cookies and talking about cat poop. Those of you who have multiple cats know that it's nice to occasionally feel "normal" again. (Whatever that means to you!) It's wonderful to know that you won't be privately criticized for the cat hair on your clothes, or a cat sitting innocently on the kitchen counter. We exchanged "neighbour horror stories" and they oooo'd and aaahhh'd over my Cat Den.

I've been trying to put together a rescue for tomorrow. It's my understanding that things have NOT slowed down at the shelter yet. There is still an enormous number of cats coming into the shelter. What the hell is going on? It's the end of October and the shelter is still at capacity on the "vet day".

Holy Mother of God, people...take care of your responsibilities. (I suppose I'm preachin' to the choir -nobody that reads this blog needs the lecture)

I'm trying so hard to get some of the adult and young adult cats out of there. They've been in the shelter a long time and have watched the kittens get rescued while they're left behind.

The award for the "Sweetest Cat at the Shelter With the Worst Picture" goes to:

Barkley! Barkley must've been VERY frightened when he first came into the shelter. He's a big, gentle, sweetheart with the prettiest green eyes I've ever seen. He almost was adopted when I sent someone out to meet him, but they took a "flashy orange" cat instead. Barkley has been declawed and he's a doll. Maybe I'll try to get a better picture of him tomorrow.

There's another cute guy at the shelter named "Charleston":

Charleston is a "Kim Favourite". He's a polydactyl too. Like many of these freaky guys with lots of toes, one of this nails has grown into the pad of his foot. It's infected and he must be in quite a bit of pain. It'll be easy to take care of once he's rescued - the nail can be pulled out and cleaned while he's being neutered. But we need to get this sweet guy rescued first. :(

I'm going to go to bed tonight feeling good. I'll need the emotional strength if I'm going to the shelter tomorrow. It's 8 pm, and so far I've had no calls back to do the rescue.

I will not panic...I will not panic...I will not panic...

Centering Myself

All I could say is, "WOW!" when I received the outpouring of comments and suggestions regarding my crappy neighbours. Some are in the comment section, and others came in through email.

My favourite?.....(Thank you, Nicole!)

David insists that we take the high road with these people no matter what. He's right of course, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't take precautions to protect what's precious to us.

My daughter has been visiting from Southern California this week. Sadly, she leaves tomorrow. I guess our lives are a series of saying "hello" and "Goodbye". Dammit, I really miss her. She fell in love with our little redheaded guy "Zack" while she was here. (Who wouldn't?)

After she leaves tomorrow, it's back to rescuing. I have a nice little list of folks waiting for foster cats. I just looked at Kim's website and there isn't a shortage of cats to be rescued.

Tomorrow? Time to get back to the business of rescuing cats.

The Return of: Squirrel-Killing-Animal-Hating Neighbours

Ever since I posted that I have Squirrel-killin'-animal-hatin' Neighbours, people have asked me how things have been going with them. I was always pleased to say that they've been totally quiet after the initial nastiness. I figured it was over.

I was wrong.

There was a knock on my door this afternoon from a City Zoning officer. He wanted to see my "cat cage". He was extremely nice and I happily let him come inside. I could feel my heart beating in my chest. At the time, I wasn't sure if I was frightened or angry. It didn't take long for me to figure out which one it was.

Mr. Zoning Guy tells me that he needed to figure out if my cat den is in fact a "Structure". If it's a structure, it will have to be moved so that it's 2 feet away from their fence. The guy kind of rolled his eyes when he saw it - "what's the big deal" look. He's going to call me in two days and let me know. The good news is, I won't have to take it down. It'll have to be moved...and I can move it ANYWHERE as long as it isn't within 2 feet of their fence.

"Be careful what you ask for, Mr. and Mrs. Cat Haters" - I'll paint the damn thing orange and put it where they can actually see it. Right now - they can't even see the damn thing.

I'm surprised at how angry I am about this. I don't like the way this is darkening my heart. I felt the same way when a school bully was terrorizing my daughter. I don't like the ugliness that's stirring inside of me. Besides, it's detracting from me rescuing Zach today:

Who could sit by and let a face like this die? I brought Zach home and put him in my son's bedroom. He looked pretty dehydrated, so I decided to take him to the vets for fluids. He's still there now and I can hardly wait to pick him up.

I'm going to keep looking at this picture and not let myself go bizerk over the dimwits next door.

"Keep your eye on the ball, Beth." (Or set fire to some cat poop and leave it on their front door)

This and That....

I felt guilty all day for using so much profanity in my last post. In real life, I don't really swear that much and I know there are a few parents out there that let their children read my blogs. At this point, I'm grateful that my mother lost the URL to my blog. :)

Thankfully, I had someone come forward and offer to help Zack. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to rescue him today and am waiting to hear from the shelter as to his current health. If it's just a "shelter cold" we can fix 'im up with some meds and love. But since there had been Distemper in the shelter, I need to insure that he's not getting any worse.

There's another little guy that I'd like to see get some help. His name is "Stumpy":

He was born with his front right foot in the shape of a stump! It's much shorter than his other one, but it has one freaky little nail that sticks out. He's really sweet. Don't write the shelter and say how mean it is that the shelter named a cat with a foot deformity "Stumpy". It was my idea. :) Besides...he LOOKS like a Stumpy, don't you think?

My heart goes out to all the little brown tabbies on the shelter website. I'm really dying here as I want to take them all home. You don't often hear me say, "I want to take them all home!".. but these little tabby guys on the site seem to call out to me.

It's now mid-October, and I'm feeling some hope in the fact that kitten season should be over and things should be slowing down. It's easier to obsess over cats when you think they might have a few extra days before they're euthanized.

Self Control (Profanity Alert)

I always end up talking about the staff at the shelter who work with the cats. They're the folks that clean, feed and often end up watching them die. But I don't think I've ever really talked about the women who work at the front desk.

The ladies that sit at the front desk represent the shelter. They are the first people that the public sees when they walk through the door. They do pet licencing, take lost/found pet reports, and listen to the shit ridiculous excuses why people want to dump their pets at the shelter. How do they censor themselves? I'd either end up biting off my tongue or get fired. I can't imagine the stories that they hear.

I have an ongoing fantasy about working at that desk....what I would say...what I would do...(Profanity alert!)

Mr. Joe Public: Yeah...I want to give up my cat because I'm moving and they don't allow pets in my new apartment.

Me: Let me get this straight: You're moving into a NO Pets apartment when you HAVE a pet?

Mr. Joe Public: If you have a problem with taking him, I'll just leave him outside when I move.

Me: Fuck you. I'll take the cat home with me.

Next Scenario:

Mrs. Jane Public: My roommate has allergies, so I have to get rid of the cat.

Me: Can't you get a new roommate? That's easier than dumping your poor cat. Believe me - he's a better friend than your roommate who's allowing you to abandoned the cat here.

Mrs. Jane Public: If you have a problem taking him, I'll just have to leave him outside.

Me: Fuck you. I'll take the cat home with me.

Next Scenario:

Mr. Joe Student: My cat is pee'ing all over the place and I can't keep him anymore.

Me: (inspecting the cat) Get him neutered and he'll stop spraying, Einstein.

Mr. Joe Student: I don't want to cut off his balls. That's not right!

Me: Fuck you, Einstein. I'll take the cat home with me. (and get him neutered)

Are you seeing a pattern yet?

I talk a big game, but over the years I've surprised myself with the amount of self control that I have. I really believe this blog helps me vent so that I'm not completely insane with people. I remember at an adoption event when a woman came up to me asking if we had any male cats that were NOT neutered because she wants her female cat to "fulfill herself and have a litter of kittens." If I could control myself after that statement, I'm a frickin' goddess of self control!

On another note.....

Kim called today and said that this little guy on the left was marked for euthanasia tomorrow. I had really loved this 13 week old baby boy the moment I saw him and cradled him like a baby all around the shelter last week. Now he's sneezing and getting an upper respiratory infection. He had been sentenced to death.

"Zach" was taken off the euthanasia list at my request. I'll have to figure out *something* for him. If anybody can help Zach, you know where to find me.

Maybe I don't have as much self control as I thought.

Happy "Canadian" Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends, neighbours and family! We celebrated yesterday with a cat sitting quietly on the corner of the table, with hope that somebody would throw some turkey his way. (They did) For the most part, we ignored him because he was being a good boy.

"If you don't like a cat sitting on the table during Thanksgiving dinner, don't eat at my house." Easier said, then done. I always try to pretend "the cat never jumps up on the table! Tsk! Tsk!"

What my guests didn't know is that before they arrived my orange guy "Butters" jumped up on the table and slid across the tablecloth Rambo-style... cutlery, glasses, napkins crashed on the floor. Why am I always surprised that this happens? *sigh*

I'm asked a lot if I'm a vegetarian. I am not. I was a vegetarian for years, but found that I wasn't doing a very good job of supplementing the iron, protein, etc found in meat. I became really sick. I really loved being a vegetarian. For the first few years, I felt wonderful! I think once my son's move out and it becomes easier to cook for just me and David, I'll probably go back and work harder at eating properly.

I'm hoping and praying to do some rescues next week. After watching "Cat City" on Global last week, I'm once again very proud to do what I do - what we do.

One Step Forward...Two Steps Back

I rescued two adorable buff coloured cats on the same day. One survived and the other didn't. I'm grieving for the loss of Louie today:


I'm angry that a new foster Mom got hurt when he passed away.

I'm angry that when I called the vets this morning I heard the staff crying because they couldn't save him.

I'm angry that some jerkoff dumped a beautiful healthy kitten like Louie at the shelter.

Many thank you's to all who tried to save Louie's life. At least he died with people trying to SAVE his life.

The other buff guy named "Calvin" is doing beautifully. He's happy, healthy and being spoiled rotten by his foster family:

(I love that Calvin is sleeping on a white duvet and has that little mouse by his feet)

A reminder what Calvin looked like when he arrived at the shelter:

My survival instinct tells me to concentrate on the one that survived. But I owe it to Louie to grieve for him and the others that died this morning at the shelter.

I'm going to grieve. But then I'm going to keep moving forward and doing what I do - but dammit, some days are harder than others to emotionally start over.

A Thursday "Diversion" Update

I'm trying to distract myself from some upsetting cat rescue news from the shelter. Some of the cats that I've wanted to rescue didn't make it and I'm sitting here feeling discouraged. Sure, it's part of the rollercoaster ride of rescue, but it does make the "downward loops" feel pretty crappy.

So to put a smile on my face and hopefully yours, I'm posting some random moments of cuteness from my house:

The picture should be titled: "BEST $20.00 I'VE EVER SPENT"

I was at Home Sense the other day and found a fluffy blanket for $20.00. I laid it out on my bed and 3 cats immediately jumped up and started nursing on it. (Have I ever told you that when I die I want my ashes to be scattered around a Home Sense store?)

This picture should be titled: "How to Look Like a Badass in a Girlie Cat Bed."
Butters is one of these MAJOR macho/alpha orange cats. I thought it was pretty cute that he yawned in his little girlie cat bed and ended up looking scary. I bet he doesn't know that he looks like a complete wuss in it.

This picture should be titled: "Snack Time With Kitty Crack"

"Kitty Crack" aka: "Temptations Treats. Promptly at 9 pm, my cats start jonesin' for their snack time. I usually take this opportunity to give them all any medications too. They're so thrilled for Temptation Treats, they don't care if I shove my finger down their throat with a pill. I have a little song I sing to them while I give them their treats. I'm terrified my sons will secretly videotape me singing it and I'll end up as the Freak Du Jour on YouTube.

The next three pictures should be titled "Cuteness From the Cat Den"

I'm thrilled with the number of people that email me asking to see more pictures of the cat den! It's like when somebody says, "Hey...can I see ALL 500 pictures of your Florida Vacation?" Seriously, it's a dream come true when somebody asks to see pictures of my cat den! Yes, I'm just as happy with it as I was when I first bought it. My cats LOVE it.

So that's my Thursday update. ALL of the cats in the pictures that you see above have been rescued from the shelter from where I currently take cats. I'm feeling better now and counting my blessings - furry and otherwise.

But my heart is still with the little ones at the shelter today. I wish they could come for a romp in the cat den.

Today's Rescue

Those of us who do rescue on a daily basis know how isolating it can be. I was thinking of that this morning as I stepped down from my front porch with 3 huge cat crates in my hand. Walking by me on the sidewalk were three women in work out clothes - they were laughing and each had a Starbucks in hand. Here I was lugging these clumsy cat crates alone and driving to the shelter.

Don't get me wrong - I *do* have friends. I just can't have friends that don't like animals. Believe me - I've tried. For example, five years ago I met a really wonderful woman about my age. We went to Pilates together and she was awesome. She had a cat and dog and seemed to respect my love of animals. It wasn't until she pointed to her cat and said, "I really hate this cat - I'd get rid of *it* if the kids didn't like *it*." that I realized it wasn't going to be a long term friendship.

So I go about my business of rescue and enjoy the friends that I have that love me for the way that I am. I suppose that's the best kind of friendship to have anyway. I'll keep telling myself that, but I miss having a friend that I can sit at Starbucks with and complain about men and talk about cat pee.

Anyhooo....I have some VERY fun news - I was able to rescue my butterball "Lisa" this morning! She's going to a wonderful foster home. She looked EXTRA cute when I picked her up:

I also rescued "Calvin":

Calvin doesn't look very big in this picture, but he's TWELVE lbs of muscle! He whined like a baby all the way to the vets. When we arrived at the vets, he sniffed at the clinic cat and gave him a lick on the end of his nose. :)

Folks are always surprised to see purebred cats at the shelter. Leeza is a Himalayan sweetheart. She arrived at the shelter weighing a whisper of 5 lbs., is spayed and declawed. The poor little lamb was covered in fleas and her fur was matted. Shame on whomever mistreated this little princess.

There were so many beautiful, sweet cats at the shelter. A Mom cat had just given birth and she was happily licking her new babies. She looked so proud. If somebody doesn't come forward, they'll all die together in a few days.

It's October 6th, and I'm hopeful things will be slowing down at the shelter soon. So far, that isn't the case....

A Non-Cat Smile Post

I'm not always about cats. Sometimes I come across something so ridiculously cute that I have to write about it. Last week while I was at the shelter, I sat in a desk chair only to see something move in a cat crate next to the desk.

I carefully leaned forward and peered into the crate and saw:

One of the staff members at the shelter had been bottlefeeding this baby since his eyes were shut. It was love at first sight. They were going to let him go in two weeks, so I wasn't allowed to hold him because they wanted him to be a "wild squirrel".

I rubbed his little head and if there hadn't been people around, I would've kissed him right on his fuzzy little lips.

Hope this little guy makes you smile too. I love him.

The Inbox

I don't know if ya'll remember "Rocco". He was a HUGE big headed tom cat that I didn't think had a chance in the world of survival at the shelter. You could've knocked me over with a feather when a couple came forward and adopted him. I received an email today from Karen who adopted him. (I wish she had sent a picture!)

"...we just wanted to let her know that Rocks is still with us, and very much apart of our family. We managed to get most of his fur unmatted and he has gained weight, we take down to the beach and park on his leash(yeah he walks like a little dog) everybody loves him dearly and I just wanted to say thank you for introducing him to us...he is quite happy and very much loved. Take care, Karen"

I love when I get to rescue a cat for The H***h Family....their foster cats are spoiled rotten by the kids, and I get updates that make me glad that I do this kind of work. This week was no exception when we rescued "Tessie":

Dear Beth...The kids have fallen in love with her. Each took a turn hanging out with her in my bedroom last nite so she wouldn't be "scared" or feel "lonely". She slept with us last nite. She found a comfy spot on my pillow, and was cuddled up close the entire nite..To think about where she was 24 hours ago to being the princess she is today. I can't help but smile!"

I also rescued a few other cuties this week:

"Dexter" is one of those personality +++ orange guys. I wish he were at my house!

"Wishful" - the face pretty much says it all, don't you think?

"Comet" went directly from the shelter to a forever home. A lovely lady with her 13 year old daughter saw him online and contacted me. He's a cute 5 month old teenager that licks your face like a dog.

I went back to the shelter today and rescued a little buff guy named "Louie" too. He is one of those oooey-gooey snuggly guys that melted in my arms.

Although there's a lot of "I rescued" comments in this post, let's not forget that NONE of these rescues would be possible if volunteers didn't step up to the plate and offer their homes and hearts to these cats.

My world is a better place with you in it.