# Adopting rescue cats



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I thought I'd give felines equal time with a rescue thread.  

I lost my 9 year-old Aby last week to cancer (see fuzzy picture in avatar). Since I've had one or more cats around the house for the last 25 years, the place is too spooky without one. I looked at getting another Aby, but availability is close to zero within driving distance, and being a retired person, the prices are way too high.

So I'm going with rescue cats. I stumbled across a web site called PetFinders... it's great. I found a number of promising candidates reasonably close by, and have narrowed the selection down to three (two are sisters). I have the unsettling sensation that I may end up with three new little friends.  

I'm spending my free time preparing the house. I have to shampoo all the carpeting to try to get rid of the traces where my other cat threw up on it (there's a lot). I'm hoping the shampoo will work satisfactorily, I have always hit the spots with an enzyme cleaner in a timely fashion. Cats and dogs have an amazing sense of smell, though.

Then I have to decide whether to go with new litter boxes or try and clean the old ones (enzyme cleaner and bleach). Probably a good idea to go with new ones; the present ones are probably 20 years old.

Strangely enough, I'm looking forward to be awakened at 3AM by a cat deciding to play with the catnip mouse on the middle of the bed, or two cats chasing each other across my stomach.   

I'm not entirely catless. There is a little gray female tabby that's been living in the back yard for several years (one of a dozen strays or so that have shown up and stayed for a while in the last 20 years or so). She comes over a kicks the back door when it's feeding time. It sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to get in.

Mike


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## purplesmurf (Mar 20, 2012)

I'm sorry to hear about your loss   Was she an absinian(sp?)? She looks like my parents cat Ramsey.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Yes, she was an Abyssinian, the last of three that I've had. Here's a better picture of her in the Amazon Custom Feline Sleeping and Napping Accessory.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Is there an Abyssinian rescue?
I know the breed is rare, so I would just assume that no one mistreats them.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Yes, there's a nationwide Aby rescue organization. I'm on their list. The only one available at this time is in California.

I wouldn't call the breed rare. They seem to be all over the place until you want one.   

All three of the places I've gotten from in the past have stopped selling kittens. One of them told me it was just too hard to let them go.

I'd love to have another, but there are just so many rescues looking for good homes that I'd feel terribly guilty if I didn't adopt one or two. Or three.

Mike


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Sorry to learn of your Kitty's passing...

My kitty is eight to nine years old, he seems healthy, a tad over weight. 

Charlie's been with me through thick and thin.


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## Eltanin Publishing (Mar 24, 2011)

I'm sorry for your loss. My husband and I used petfinder.com over a year ago, when one of our two cats died, and we wanted to be a 2-cat household again. Only downside was that petfinder measures distance "as the crow flies", so after we fell in love with little Milo's picture (see below, left), we realized we'd have to take the ferry across Lake Champlain to get him. Milo didn't like the car ride and had accidents out of both ends...  and as I was trying to clean him up a bit on the side of the road, I realized that the brown spots I was trying to wipe off of his heels were actually brown fur spots! (I had thought he'd stepped in his mess.) Now he's getting to be a big boy!


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## Pawz4me (Feb 14, 2009)

I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm glad you're looking for some more kitties to rescue!

I'm a volunteer with a rescue group, and I work mostly with the cats right now.  I think you're doing great by shampooing your carpet.  If you treated any previous accidents with an enzyme cleaner then I think you'll be fine.

New litterboxes are absolutely the way to go.  Find out what type/brand of litter the cats are used to and stick with that for the first few weeks.  Some cats don't really care about litter, but others are very picky.  So it's best to stick with what they're used to at least for awhile.  You might also ask whether the cats are used to covered or uncovered boxes.  People like the covered boxes, cats often don't.

Also, find out what they're used to eating and stick with that for awhile if possible.

When you first bring your new additions home, it's best to confine them to a one room for a few days.  Most cats will adapt to a new environment with a lot less stress if they're just given access to one smallish room to begin with.

Good luck!


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

jmiked said:


> Yes, there's a nationwide Aby rescue organization. I'm on their list. The only one available at this time is in California.
> 
> I wouldn't call the breed rare. They seem to be all over the place until you want one.
> All three of the places I've gotten from in the past have stopped selling kittens. One of them told me it was just too hard to let them go.
> ...


Doing a quick sweep, I found a breeder that was "retiring" a female for adoption.......??


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

Thank you so much for deciding on a "secondhand" cat!  All my cats have been rescues, and I think that's the way to go.  Don't forget your local humane societies as well.

Interesting suggestions here re re-using litter boxes.  I guess I've been fortunate that I've never run across a cat that was really picky about the litter box (knocks on wood).

Post a photo when you get your new pal.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

All but two of our cats over the past 39 years have been from the local humane societies or animal control centers; most were young adult cats but a couple were older. Of the other two, one cat was a kitten from a litter of a stray cat who had her litter at a coworker's house and one was from the only litter of that kitten. We misjudged when she should have been spayed. We found homes for the rest of the kittens and then had her spayed. We made sure her daughter was spayed in time.


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## sheiler1963 (Nov 23, 2011)

geoffthomas said:


> Doing a quick sweep, I found a breeder that was "retiring" a female for adoption.......??


This is a good idea if you really have your heart set on on a certain breed. I can't in good conscience buy a pet from a breeder. However for many many years I've longed for a male, black/silver Maine ****. I had one once long ago and he was the love of my life and the most stable male I've ever known. I have contacted breeders within a Tri-state area and let them know that if they ever retire one of their breeders that match this I will be interested. I keep in touch with them on a quarterly basis just to stay in the loop. 
Before anyone kicks my butt about choosing a pet based on sex/color/breed........I know. However I think I've paid my dues with regards to pet rescue. All but one of my pets has been a 'throw away' that nobody else would take. I've done the black dog/cat thing, the old and toothless thing, I've put many many miles on my car doing transport. I think that just this once I'm entitled to be choosy and wait for the one that I really really want.


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

Sheiler, isn't it funny, no one ever thinks twice if a person wants a specific dog....  Had a cat that reminded me of a Maine **** and loved that cat!  Unfortunately it was just an ordinary barnyard cat!  Good luck!


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## valleycat1 (Mar 15, 2011)

Our current cat, & 2 dogs we had previously, were from the local shelter.  We've found these animals never get over being grateful for the rescue!

I agree with the comment above about acclimating them gently & in stages.


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

Mike love the photo of Aby in the Amazon box.  It is very difficult to lose a pet == good luck in finding another great friend!


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

sheiler1963 said:


> This is a good idea if you really have your heart set on on a certain breed. I can't in good conscience buy a pet from a breeder. However for many many years I've longed for a male, black/silver Maine ****. I had one once long ago and he was the love of my life and the most stable male I've ever known. I have contacted breeders within a Tri-state area and let them know that if they ever retire one of their breeders that match this I will be interested. I keep in touch with them on a quarterly basis just to stay in the loop.
> Before anyone kicks my butt about choosing a pet based on sex/color/breed........I know. However I think I've paid my dues with regards to pet rescue. All but one of my pets has been a 'throw away' that nobody else would take. I've done the black dog/cat thing, the old and toothless thing, I've put many many miles on my car doing transport. I think that just this once I'm entitled to be choosy and wait for the one that I really really want.


If 'retired breeder' cats are at all like the 'retired breeder' dog that my daughter adopted via a rescue listing, no one should give you any grief over choosing a pet based on sex/color/breed. Those animals deserve a good home.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Hey Mike...I'm a cheerleader for rescue so thank you for going that route!

We found our standard poodle through Petfinder and we are waiting on a Brittany rescue also through Petfinder so it's a great resource for finding an animal. It's a starting point but you will need to dig deeper. I haven't looked at Petfinder for cats but I imagine the process is the same. Good luck!

As for litterboxes...they're cheap. Toss them out and buy the new cat a new one. Who wants to use someone else's old poopy toilet? LOL.

L


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

sheiler1963 said:


> However for many many years I've longed for a male, black/silver Maine ****. I had one once long ago and he was the love of my life and the most stable male I've ever known.


OMG, I was absolutely besotted with the Maine **** I had (a brown tabby with extra toes). Unfortunately, he decided to take on the local coyote after only 9 months with me. Absolutely broke my heart. Truly. HOWEVER, he came from a local rescue. Maine **** mixes are very easy to find (at least here). They are, IMHO, the very best cat!! There are Maine **** rescue organizations too. Why anyone would part with one is a mystery to me...


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## Elmore Hammes (Jun 23, 2009)

I spend some time volunteering at a local shelter, and it amazes me when I see some of the awesome animals that people surrender. I know these days, economics can play a big part of it, and it is certainly better to responsibly surrender an animal than to abandon it (we have unfortunately seen a number of cases where people have moved and simply left the animal to starve inside the house). On the plus side, I also meet people who round up local strays and get them spayed/neutered before setting them free again. If more people did that, it would go a long way in helping the overpopulation problem.

My two cats come from rescue situations, and my foster cat Holly (who will probably become a permanent resident if she continues to show progress with her social skills...) did as well. Holly was going "cage crazy" at the shelter, but in an open home environment she is getting back to being the great cat she was when she first came to the shelter.

Kudos to everyone for helping save these animals!


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

My two cats were adopted from Petsmart.  The cats there are provided by our local spay and neuter clinic.  They were 6 and 9 months when I adopted them.  They are the sweetest kitties.  Our Petsmart is responsible for many cats and kittens finding homes.


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## Pawz4me (Feb 14, 2009)

prairiesky said:


> My two cats were adopted from Petsmart. The cats there are provided by our local spay and neuter clinic. They were 6 and 9 months when I adopted them. They are the sweetest kitties. Our Petsmart is responsible for many cats and kittens finding homes.


In addition to our main adoption facility, the rescue group I volunteer with has adoptable kitties at our local Petsmart. I've never seen actual statistics, but my guess is that the majority of our cat adoptions occur at the Petsmart facility.


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## Laura Lond (Nov 6, 2010)

I had used Petfinder to find and adopt a cat over 10 years ago - and he is still with us.  He was a birthday gift from my husband during out first year of marriage. He'd asked me what I wanted, I said a cat, and so he told me to pick one. Beanie has been with us through thick and thin, and he's a wonderful boy. We had taken in a stray later on, and adopted another cat from the local shelter, so now we have three.

I love the picture of Aby, too!


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

My wife and I used to volunteer for a cat rescue organization when we lived in Virginia and adopted some of our foster cats.  Since moving to Seattle we've rescued a few strays and cats with deceased owners.  Needless to say, we think highly of rescues.  

Sometimes rescues take a while to adjust.  When we took in Millie (whose owner died) it was three or four months before she really accepted us as her new family and ceased hiding in the guest room.  Then, again, there was Phineas, a stray who welcomed himself into our home, and just assumed we'd keep him.  We did.


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## Laura Lond (Nov 6, 2010)

Geemont said:


> Sometimes rescues take a while to adjust.


Yes. Beanie, our first cat, had spent around two weeks hiding under the bed or under the couch after we'd brought him home, he was so timid and so afraid. But when he had finally decided that we could be trusted, he gave us his heart - all of it. He became the cuddliest purring machine you can ever imagine.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Here's a fun video:


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

I can't walk into a shelture, breaks my heart. Want to take them all home.


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## Laura Lond (Nov 6, 2010)

Casper Parks said:


> Want to take them all home.


Oh, I know the feeling. When I volunteered, I comforted myself with the thought that while I couldn't take them all home, at least I had brought a little joy into their life. A bag of treats, getting combed and played with - not much, but it made them happy.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I'm sorry about your loss, and hope you find some great new friends. I've lost a lot of pets in a handful of years -- old age. I currently have some pets that are elderly.

I also have 1 year old kitty-siblings that I adopted when they were about 7 weeks old. Complete maniacs, with a shared ability to cause mayhem and destroy. They also have the survival skill of looking adorable even when they're wrecking something. 

Also, rescuing is the best thing you can do. I once read a statistic that there are 47 cats born for every human born. Something has to give. So, thank you.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Casper Parks said:


> I can't walk into a shelture, breaks my heart. Want to take them all home.


I share the feeling. I was buying some stuff in preparation for the new arrivals, and saw a beautiful little two year old female that was up for adoption. When I walked up to the glass front of the cage, she came across and rubbed against the glass when I tapped on it. I wish I could have taken her home right then. I don't think she will stay un-adopted for long, with an attitude like that.

Mike


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

All of my cats growing up were either resuce or "friend of a friend's cat's litter" (except one, he was a stray that enjoyed eating and stayed.  We named him Fat Cat for obvious reasons).  I am actually an animal lover.  I will state that I like bigger dogs more than lap dogs (which partly explains why I make fun of our pug so much).  I would love to have a cat and have talked to DH about getting cats, but there are a couple of issues we would have to work out one is the fact that DH is not a cat lover (this isn't the important matter, I can over look that).  The other is slightly larger:  the person who lived in our house before us was a renter who had @ least 3 cats and only 1 litter box.  She also, the last 2 weeks of her lease, didn't change the box (why?  b/c she was mad that she was asked to leave the house so my ILs could sell it to us so they could get out from underneath a mortgage they really couldn't afford).  The end result was the first thing you smelled when coming in our house was cat pee.  It took 2 weeks to get the smell of cat pee out of the hardwood floors.  The last obsticale to my dream of owning a cat is the fact that DH is allergic to certain cat care products (but b/c he doesn't like cats, he's not sure which ones).


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Alle Meine Entchen said:


> The last obsticale to my dream of owning a cat is the fact that DH is allergic to certain cat care products (but b/c he doesn't like cats, he's not sure which ones).


Define "allergic". Does he start sneezing and itching, or does he get so short of breath that he has to go to the hospital?

Mike


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

jmiked said:


> Define "allergic". Does he start sneezing and itching, or does he get so short of breath that he has to go to the hospital?
> 
> Mike


He never lets it get passed the sneezing and itching. Once he starts feeling sneezy, we leave and blame allergies.


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## Eltanin Publishing (Mar 24, 2011)

Alle Meine Entchen said:


> The last obsticale to my dream of owning a cat is the fact that DH is allergic to certain cat care products (but b/c he doesn't like cats, he's not sure which ones).


What exactly is a "cat care product"? They don't use shampoo, etc. Do you mean litter?


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## Eleanor1976 (Apr 7, 2012)

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. Sadly when we accept animals into our lives we also have to accept that we must part one day. It's never easy though. 
I have 14 rescued cats, although I didn't get them from a centre. I got them all from the street and I always say that they found me rather than the other way around. One of my cats, George, for example was living in a derelict house not far from where I used to live. One day I was passing the house and he crawled out of the cellar and stepped right in front of me. I picked him up and asked someone who was passing who he belonged to and they said that he'd been there for about a month. I took him straight home and fed him and then the next day took him to the vet to have him neutered and get all his vaccinations etc. On the way to the vets though, I got a shock. There was a crane with a wrecking ball knocking down the house where George had been living. He found me just in time. It's been like that with all of them. One of my cats was in the early stages of pregnancy when I found her, but she kept it quiet until she started showing and she eventually gave birth to 3 gorgeous little ones (I kept them too!)
My latest rescue cat I have called Grumpy. He is very old and has just 4 teeth. Bless him! 
Hope all goes well with your new kitty and if you need any help or advice, feel free to ask!


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

Eltanin Publishing said:


> What exactly is a "cat care product"? They don't use shampoo, etc. Do you mean litter?


flea powder, flea collars, he doesn't like the person and uses cats as an excuse to leave (he's done that before, didn't like the person and the most polite way to leave was to claim allergies due to her multiple cats)


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

The adoption agency is bringing my new little friend to the house at noon tomorrow. I've been busy getting the place where she will stay in proper shape. She's very shy, so I might not actually see her for several weeks.

Mike


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

Looks like a sweetie!  Enjoy!


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## Laura Lond (Nov 6, 2010)

jmiked said:


> The adoption agency is bringing my new little friend to the house at noon tomorrow. I've been busy getting the place where she will stay in proper shape. She's very shy, so I might not actually see her for several weeks.
> 
> Mike


What a gorgeous girl! Congratulations! 

By the way, guys and gals, I've just thought of something: my book Five Million Dollar Cat is for cat lovers, and even though it is fiction, it's based on my experience of volunteering at the local shelter, with many of the cat characters having real life prototypes. If any of you here in this thread would like to read it, PM me where to email your free Kindle copy. No review or anything required, I just want to share it with fellow cat lovers.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

jmiked said:


> The adoption agency is bringing my new little friend to the house at noon tomorrow. I've been busy getting the place where she will stay in proper shape. She's very shy, so I might not actually see her for several weeks.
> 
> Mike


She's beautiful!


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## Marie S (May 20, 2011)

jmiked said:


> The adoption agency is bringing my new little friend to the house at noon tomorrow. I've been busy getting the place where she will stay in proper shape. She's very shy, so I might not actually see her for several weeks.
> 
> Mike


What a beautiful cat! I wish you many happy years with her, and well done for deciding on a rescue cat 

My Athena (that's her in my profile pic) was a rescue kitten. I got her from a local animal shelter after seeing her on their website (it was love at first sight for both of us) http://www.woodgreen.org.uk/

She is almost a year old and was about 10 weeks old when I got her. There are so many cats in shelters desperately needing homes that I would never think of going to a breeder or pet shop to buy one. I wish I could rescue more but unfortunately I can't afford another cat at the moment.


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## Pawz4me (Feb 14, 2009)

She's very pretty!

Do be patient, especially since she's known to be shy.  I had a cat once who took three months to decide to come out of the bathroom during the day.  I put her in there as soon as we adopted her and kept the door closed for a few days (going in frequently to pet and play with her, of course).  Then I left the door open and put up a baby gate she could get in/out if she wanted but my dog couldn't get in.  I'm pretty sure she started coming out at night fairly soon, but it was three months before she felt ready to come out during the day.  But when she finally decided all was okay, she was truly okay.  She was completely relaxed and acted like she owned the entire house.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

I agree, super pretty cat!

I got my cat when I saw a guy pull over on the side of the road in a park and start unloading cats out of his truck. He put the cats on a rock (in December), then drove off. They all had little ribbons around their necks with their names on them. I was riding my bike, and wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing, but decided something seemed odd, so I turned around and went back and that's when I saw the kittens (I glared at him as he drove off). I cuddled them for a bit, then biked to a friend's house to see if we could use her car. When we got back to the park, they were all huddled underneath the rock, so we loaded them up and took them to my apartment. I kept one, my roommate kept one, and we took the last one (identical to my cat) to the humane society (which was only a couple blocks away from the park) because she had some sort of upper respiratory issue. The humane society people gave us free flea medicine and assured me that they would take care of the other cat and she would almost certainly be adopted (she was only around 6 months old, pure white, and it was near Christmas). I still wonder about that other little cat and hope she got adopted too!


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Just saw this thread--my deepest sympathies on your loss. And the new kitty looks beautiful! As others have already said, new potty facilities (yes!) and I'd also recommend you confine the newcomer in a single room at first. That way it's not so overwhelming and she can learn the lay of the land in that one area and have a "safe retreat" as she learns the rest of the house.

Rescue Remedy (a Bach flower remedy) can be helpful to sooth fear/stress. So can harp music--it's a natural sedative. *s* No doubt you'll have her purring soon. 

That's my little Siamese wannabe in my avatar--she showed up (dumped kitten) almost 15 years ago and has ruled my heart ever since. Oh, and she chases the dog and keeps him in line, too. *s* 

Once your new cat friend is settled, please share pictures. This is "kitten season" so I've no doubt there will be lots of cute-icity coming. A friend of mine just adopted 7 (!) orphaned 4-week-old kittens.


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## Elmore Hammes (Jun 23, 2009)

Our shelter had an open house for their new 2-story Cat Sanctuary yesterday, where the cats roam free, with lots of cat trees and toys and a screened in porch. Two cats who had been at the shelter for several years got adopted, and two more cats from inside the shelter also found forever homes. As cats from the Sanctuary are adopted, cats from the shelter will be promoted to the sanctuary.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Elmore, love that concept!  I remember one of the most moving adoptions I ever witnessed--an obese 14-year-old white cat, soooo depressed at the shelter, because her owner had to go to a nursing home--and was adopted by a couple who came to see her 3 times. They pledged to continue her diet (she'd lost 3 pounds while at the shelter) and the follow up report was she'd finally come out of her shell. Love those 2nd chance stories!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Second chance, isn't that what rescue is all about? I love the pictures of the new kitty...

L


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)




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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

NogDog said:


>


    

Mike


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## Panther (Apr 17, 2012)

I am sorry for your loss as well, it's always hard to lose a family member-human or furbaby. 
You look to have good company now though 

My partner Jeff and I decided to adopt two black cats. I'm going to write about one of them, Jelly Bean in my next book. The signs that led me to him. 
Black cats are the least likely to be adopted in North America and many other parts of the world (though I think the UK isn't as bad..bc they believe they are good luck ). Both kittens and cats alike as well as black dogs are put to sleep solely because they spook people (witch stereotype?) or are too "boring".

My cats have learned to walk on leash with us through the park, and they can do tricks. 
Love them a lot.

I always promote pet adoption/rescue

Thank you to any person who adopts!

Hope you don't mind my sharing -I'm a proud mom too 

(Images are a lil big so I just put the links

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/emoticons1/20.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/emoticons1/contest.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/emoticons1/6.jpg


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## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

Mike, snap!



This cat adopted us last year a couple of days after the second of my two from an animal shelter died of a stroke (18 years with us). I started feeding her after I'd found her inside my bird feeder, eating the food I'd put out for the birds. I didn't actually want another cat, but she wouldn't say no.

What makes me angry about this particular cat was it was clear to see she was not a stray (she had been spayed) and had probably been dumped.

Here, doing her big-foot act on her first night in the house:



On the subject of litter-boxes, she refuses to use the other cats' litter-boxes, no matter how bad the weather is.

She is an expert mouser:



Enjoy your new kitty!


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## Eleanor1976 (Apr 7, 2012)

Bigal-sa said:


> Mike, snap!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I totally hear you on that Bigal-sa. The first cat that found me was a little black female. She had been spayed, and looked really healthy. At first I refused to feed her, as she really seemed as if she belonged to someone and I don't want to encourage another person's cat to leave home. However, a neighbour then told me that she used to belong to a family about four doors away on my street. The family had moved and just left the cat  I was so angry. I went home and the little cat was there. I tols her I was sorry for not feeding her, she rubbed up against my leg as if she understood. I gave her some food which she devoured and then she went upstairs, lay on my bed and never left. I called her Bella, because she was beautiful  She was with me for 7 years, but sadly passed away several years ago. Bella, and the other 4 cats that I have lost are with me forever; I have some of their ashes in a pendant that I wear all the time. 
Glad to hear your kitty was so persistent. She looks so happy...like she owns the place


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

That is an AWESOME picture of the cat-mouse pounce, wow! Bigal-sa I think that I remember when your dear kitty passed and this lovely but pushy newcomer arrived. They just seem to know who to approach, don't they?


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## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

Amyshojai said:


> That is an AWESOME picture of the cat-mouse pounce, wow! Bigal-sa I think that I remember when your dear kitty passed and this lovely but pushy newcomer arrived. They just seem to know who to approach, don't they?


Thanks for the compliment Amy 

Cats certainly do know who is a soft touch. With winter approaching down here she is a snuggler of note!

Sent from my U20i using Tapatalk 2


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Things are progressing nicely. She's been in the bathroom since arrival, I left the door to the bathroom open night before last and she spent a few minutes at the doorway with her head bobbing and weaving as she was taking it all in, and then she spent a half-hour or so going around the bedroom. She inspected things on the bedside table, getting close enough I could have given her an ear-scritch if I'd reached out. I just kept on reading and pretended to ignore her. I even got a couple of eye-blinks out of it.

Her appetite is recovering. Yesterday she ate almost a whole can from the half-dozen left by the rescue person, and she munched some dry food this morning.

I'm pleased. She still spends most of her time as shown in the photo below but it's only been six days. There's no rush.

Mike


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Ooohhh, those little "airplane ears" still speak to her fear. But from what you describe she is getting better. Cats typically won't be willing to meet and greet people or other pets until they feel comfy in the new environment, so checking it out (cheek rubbing "safe" spots) is a very positive sign.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Amyshojai said:


> Ooohhh, those little "airplane ears" still speak to her fear.


Oh, yeah. That's the only time in three days I've seen that, though. There's no pressure, she can do everything on her own schedule. I'm pretty much going to leave her alone except for providing food and water, and litter box maintenance. The rest is up to her when she's ready. At least she isn't spending all her time in the carrier she was brought here in, as she did the first three days.

Mike


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

jmiked said:


> Oh, yeah. That's the only time in three days I've seen that, though. There's no pressure, she can do everything on her own schedule. I'm pretty much going to leave her alone except for providing food and water, and litter box maintenance. The rest is up to her when she's ready. At least she isn't spending all her time in the carrier she was brought here in, as she did the first three days.
> 
> Mike


Probably due to the camera pointed at her. This came up on another "pet" thread around here, how pets react to that camera. I sooooo need to do a blog post on that. *s*


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Well, now there is a new wrinkle. Night before last she started in giving few loud meows every hour or so (the door to the bathroom is open). I'm not a particularly light sleeper, but it brings me right up. So far I'm just ignoring her, but I may have to start sleeping in the living room if this keeps up for long.


Mike


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

She's testing you.  Here's some info and tips that might help with those meow-wake-up-calls:

http://cats.about.com/od/behaviortraining/a/cat_wakeup_call.htm


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## Indy (Jun 7, 2010)

Both of mine are rescues.  Their personalities couldn't be farther apart.  Sassy was a gray princess with gorgeous green eyes that just spoke to me in the shelter, and she didn't freak out around the dog when we brought him to visit her, so we took her home.  She did hide in the bathroom drawer at first and act terrified of the dog for about a month, until she figured out he wasn't going to eat her.  Now she avoids him and owns the house.  She's not overly cuddly but when she cuddles, it's for hours on end.  I am convinced she understands english better than my daughter sometimes.

Fizz was a rescue from a house with like, a million pets that called itself a shelter and was shut down.  There were less than a dozen cats and dogs combined who didn't have to be put down and some were at the vet office where my hubby worked.  He took pictures of this kitten and told me "you have to come see him, I want this kitten, please god please" so I went to visit.  I was about heartbroken over a very tiny kitten from the same place, who was very friendly, only that kitten had an enlarged heart and wasn't growing, so he wound up being put down.  Fizz, we took home.  He's cuddly, friendly, psychotic, destructive, eats anything (chili, carrots, you name it), and plays with the dog.  He had almost no acclimation period.  He walked in and stood on his back legs and started trying to punch the dog in the nose.  He tortures Sassy every morning and chases her around, even though she beats him silly every time.  We have a moratorium on animals now.  This is all we can handle.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Amyshojai said:


> She's testing you.


I may have passed the test. Not a peep out of her last night. Not only that, while I was reading in bed, she comes wandering out of The Place That Belongs to Cats (otherwise known as the back bathroom) and flops down on the floor and starts giving herself a bath. 

Mike


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

jmiked said:


> I may have passed the test. Not a peep out of her last night. Not only that, while I was reading in bed, she comes wandering out of The Place That Belongs to Cats (otherwise known as the back bathroom) and flops down on the floor and starts giving herself a bath.
> 
> Mike


Excellent!


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I was doing litter box maintenance a little while go, and turned around and she was gone. I spent a few minutes looking for her, and finally located her behind the Ugly Sofa in the living room. Since she's had access to most of the house (two bedrooms are non-cat-proofed storage) for almost a week, she may have been exploring during the night. That seems to be when she comes out the most.










She looks pretty relaxed.

Mike


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm astonished by the change that one day made in the behavior of my new rescue cat. Monday she was still hiding out behind the sofa and dashing between there and the back of the house where the litter boxes and such are.

Tuesday morning, she wanders out from the hiding place and comes over to my recliner and I reach down and scratch behind her ears, and she's done a 180 on personality. She's laying across my shoes, jumping up on the recliner arm, and chatting up a storm.

One day later, she's not as vocal, but she is still following me around and laying on the floor nearby. She will exhaust herself chasing the laser dot around the living room.










I think somebody switched cats on me. 

Mike


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

jmiked said:


> I'm astonished by the change that one day made in the behavior of my new rescue cat....
> I think somebody switched cats on me.


Cats are like that. I remember fostering a rescue cat who wouldn't come out of the "safe" room even though the door was open, then he was OK with it all of a sudden, standing still at the threshold of the door one moment and following at my feet the next. It was a light switch had been turned on inside him.

I happy your rescue cat has made the transition.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

This is a little OT, but someone mentioned cleaning their carpets w/ enzyme cleaner getting ready for a new cat and I found a homemade enzyme cleaner that uses kitchen scraps (and is totally easy, I just finished making this myself) and seems safe for pets/kids/adults:

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/make-your-own-citrus-enzyme-cleaner.html


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## Bigal-sa (Mar 27, 2010)

Mike, really pleased that she's accepted you! I love that last pic where she's doing what we call the 'bigfoot act' with our lookalike. 

Sent from my PMP5080B using Tapatalk 2


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

We call it "flipping" when they roll. *s* It's a solicitation behavior asking for attention (just beware belly rubs, some cats then ATTACK! LOL!)

Cats take a specific amount of time to feel comfortable with the environment before they're interested in accepting new people/animals. Once she cheek-rubbed and kitty-mapped her new home, she felt safe enough to cheek-rub/mark YOU and the play also made it a positive experience to be near you. Bravo!

Alle, I'll take a look at that carpet cleaning recipe, that could be kewl. Just an FYI--cats tend to HATE citrus smell so that can also keep them from returning to the scene (sent) and repeating the crime.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)

Amyshojai said:


> Alle, I'll take a look at that carpet cleaning recipe, that could be kewl. Just an FYI--cats tend to HATE citrus smell so that can also keep them from returning to the scene (sent) and repeating the crime.


It should be safe for all pets, unless your pet is allergic to water, brown sugar, citrus fruit or yeast (the recipe). It is also good for more than just carpet cleaning, but since we are talking about pets, I figured it would be good for cleaning up accidents and not-quiet-accidents.


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## Alle Meine Entchen (Dec 6, 2009)




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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Love that picture!

Today I've got a Kitty (well doggy too) blog for mother's day (aren't you "mom" to your pets?) that lists 14 ways dogs and cats show us love.

http://amyshojai.com/2012/05/11/furry-friday-mothers-day-for-pets/

What have I missed?


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