"Wait .... Hold on there a minute ... I've just got this one last lick ...."
"Ah, there. Now I'm presentable!"
"I wanted to get all cleaned up for you, you know, in case you might be interested in hanging out with a handsome blue-eyed boy like myself.
I'm 6 years young, and the ladies here at the shelter say I'm a rather handsome sort. It's enough to make a mancat blush, you know? I'm kind of a modest, retiring sort, and not one to boast, so I'll have to let you make the call on that one.
But I would like to meet you. Maybe you'll come give me a scritch or two, or maybe even a treat?"
"Mmmm, makes my mouth water just thinking of all the fun treats times we could have together.
"Hi there! People say I'm very aptly named because I'm a very merry kitty, indeed.
Wait -- here, let me try a serious face for you ...."
Serious Face.
"How'd I do? Whew, glad that was over, I'm not known for being a solemn guy. I tend to be the outgoing one in the crowd who comes right up to you for head bonks and kitty kisses.
It might also have something to do with the fact that I had to survive paw-to-mouth on the streets before being found and brought here. Let me tell you, three solids and a nice soft bed are pretty pawesome!"
"Not to mention they have some pretty rad kitty toys here. I do love me a mean game of tug-o-war with a catnip sock, I do. (Just check out my video and you'll see for yourself!)"
"I do have a touch of arthritis in my shoulder - an old war wound, but let's not speak of it. I'm sure you understand. But the good folks here have me on some medications that make me feel much better!
I've been through a lot in a mere 4 1/2 years, and I'm ready to settle down with my very own forever family. Might you be the purrfect match for me?
"Excuse me. Do look like a cartoon to you? No? I didn't think so."
"Guess I can't help it that the cartoonist guy decided he needed a handsome mancat to model his 'toon after. Just one thing: how did he know how handsome I'd be, years before I was born?
I mean, I'm only a 2 year old guy and all. It's a puzzle, I tell ya.
Maybe I'll be able to figure it out after a snack. I hear it's more difficult to think on an empty stomach."
"Got any treats on you? I'd gladly take one or two off your hands. Hey, I'll bet you have even more at home! What if I head on over there with you and we make it a date?
I promise I'll be very diligent managing the rodent population. As you can see from my resume photo, below, I'm quite adept at it."
"What do you say? Think we should seal the deal over a bowl of cream?
Got a crowbar or a hacksaw I can borrow? It's not that the slammer's such a bad place, really it isn't. But I didn't do it! I swear!"
Meet Banksy. We're not sure if he was caught when a dye pack exploded after a bank heist ... or if he was spray painted for other, less friendly reasons.
Regardless, Banksy's a bit blue. And as you can see, he's not talking. (Athough he might be singing ....)
Banksy's a 2 year old brown and white (okay, and blue) cat who's pretty chill, actually, for whatever he's gone through.
(BTW, never ever EVER paint your cat. Paint and dye contain chemicals that can harm any pet.)
Banksy's blue fur will eventually shed, and the staff at KC Pet Project are also trying various pet-safe ways to help him shed his colorful statement. Regardless, he'll be back to his brown-and-white self soon enough.
We're hoping Banksy will get a reduced sentence for good behavior, but if you want to head on over we're sure the shelter will remand him into your custody today.
"Hullo! Would you happen to have a bit of time ... and a lap I might borrow?
I'm a lovely little 1 year old girl, but I had the terrible misfortune to be born as a minority.
You see, we black fur-people are often discriminated against - just for the color of our fur, can you believe it?
And the oddest thing is, we're known to be the most congenial, the sweetest, the most chill kitties out there!"
"You may have noticed my name ~ I may or may not purr with a bit of a Scottish burr (you'll have to come meet me in the fur to find out, a girl's got to have a few secrets, you know?).
But if we hit it off, I promise not to force you to watch Braveheart too many times in one year...sound like a plan?
Did you know Inverness is the town bordering Loch Ness?"
"Wait... is that..is that Nessie I see? Holy cat! Grab your camera, quick! We'll be famous!"
"Hi! My name is Rose.
Due to very unfortunate events, this is my second time at KC Pet Project. No, it’s not my fault. The first time, it was because my human passed away.
I was adopted by another wonderful human and she says I’m the sweetest, most cuddly cat she’s ever met. She wished with all her heart that she could keep me, but she was moving away and was afraid the stress of the move would be too much for me.
I admit, I do start off as a very shy kitty, but with time, love, and effort…I will be your best friend, honest."
"I am very scared of the shelter, so I need your help.
I prefer quieter households. My mom isn’t sure if I get along
with other cats, but I can tell you right now that dogs aren’t my favorite.
Oh, and I do have one requirement: I MUST be able to sleep with you. You see, I'm a real cuddler. Feet and bellies are my favorite!
I love to play, too. Jingly balls are my fave, but wand toys are okay, too. I eat dry food, but I absolutely adore wet food. YUM!"
"Let's see.... what else can I tell you about myself? Oh! I’m real a lady.
In fact, always cross
my legs when I sit.
I know I’m scared and quiet right now, but if you take me home, you won’t regret it.
Won't you come meet me?
Shy purrs,
Rose”
Rose is available at the Main Campus of KC Pet Project. Come meet her today!
"Hullo! I'm Hera. You know, like the Greek goddess of women and of marriage? Except, no offense, but I'm kind of over the whole family thing.
You see, I got thrust into motherhood much earlier than I really wanted. Six kids - and three of them weren't even mine!"
"But honestly, what was a girlcat to do? I was still practically a kitten myself, but those poor little things, they had no one else. So I took them in, along with my own three.
But now they're all off on their own adventures, and me?
Well, I came to KC Pet Project a bit exhausted, to tell the truth. The nice lady who fostered me said I looked utterly worn out. Like a skinny, nervous teenager needing a place I could just crash!"
"Bless her; she gave that to me and more. I now know what it will be like to have a family of my own and let me tell you, it's nice to be able to let go and be taken care of myself, for a change.
"I've discovered head butts and tummy rubs! And ooooooh, I love them!"
"Do you have room in your life for a young, former teenage mom who is now ready to enjoy a long life with her BHFF*?
Come meet me, please?
Purrs and headbutts,
Hera"
*BHFF = Best Human Friend Forever
Hera's available at the Main Campus of KC Pet Project. Come meet her today!
With a tail that shakes like a rattlesnake when she gets excited (and she get excited a LOT) she is bound to bring unending happiness to your life.
Lilo was brought to KCPP when her family was moving and were unable to take her with them. She lived with other cats and dogs -- and while she did well with them, she mostly kept to herself and did her own thing.
Lilo is friendly to everyone she meets, but definitely enjoys her independence as well and will let you know when she needs some space.
Lilo's Loves:
- playing with toys
- sitting by the window and working on her tan
- tuna (Bonito flakes are AWESOME.)
Lilo's Not-Loves:
- not a huge fan of car rides
- not a fan of vacuums either, but hey, who is?
Lilo enjoyed sleeping in the room with her previous owner, and would love an owner who can show her the ropes with scratching posts.
Are you the home that is going to love Lilo forever? She's available at the Main Campus of KC Pet Project. Come meet her today!
"Looking for a companion with a bit of moxie? Look no further!
I'm an outgoing sort of girl, if I do say so myself. I've been told I have a rather *ahem* "bold" personality. But that's a good thing ... right? I think it's good to have an opinion about things, don't you?
No waffling around the issues for me, no sir! For instance, I'll tell you straight out when I want company.
(Okay, confession time: I am a real people pers-- ahh, um, cat. I love it when I'm the center of your attention!
Not that I'm, like, clingy or anything. A girl needs her down time too - and I'll let you know that as well.)
Being a girlcat of impeccable taste, I love staying well-coiffed.
(You don't mind multitasking during this interview, do you? Could you grab that brush over there and ...?)
Ooooh yessss. I do love a good brushing session!
I'm pretty accomplished at playing coy, too. (see Exhibit A, below)
You do know that black goes with everything in your wardrobe, right?
Might you be interested in a girl with loads of personality and excellent fashion sense?
If so, come on out - let's chat!
Housepanther purrs,
Pip"
Pip's available at the Main Campus of KC Pet Project. Come meet her today!
"Have you ever heard the saying that big things come in small packages?
I've been told that might apply to me."
Me, sitting for my Olan Mills photo. How glam!
(I've also been told that they should have taken my photo sitting next to a quarter for size comparison, but that might be stretching the truth just a bit. I mean, I'm not THAT tiny ...)
I may look the size of a kitten but I'm really 3 years old - fully grown!
Ready for my closeup Mister De Mille!
The folks around here say I have a gorgeous dilute calico coat as soft as can be, and dreamy green eyes. I'll let you be the judge of that!
I admit I'm a tiny bit shy at first, and I'll probably never be the life of the party, but I warm up to people quickly, honest.
And I do love to snuggle. Chin scritches are my favorite! And at three years, I'm still pretty energetic but without all that crazy kitten action.
(um, I may still have the zoomies on occasion, but I promise they won't last overly long)
Might you be interested in a Pocket Cat? I think I'm just the right size to fit that bill - and I'd love to find a human I can call my own.
Won't you come meet me, soon?
Petite Purrs,
Mickey"
Mickey's available at the Main Campus of KC Pet Project. Come meet her today!
"We hear superheroes are all the rage these days - with characters like Captain America and Doctor Strange coming out with their own movies and everything."
"We prefer to think of ourselves as the more behind-the-scenes, mild-mannered heroes. But hey, it's nice to know our brethren (and wonder women...and wonder womencats) are so appreciated!
"Yup, we're just two superkitties keepin' it on the DL, doing our heroic thing at times when no one's the wiser.
You know, like handing out purrs of comfort when needed. Maybe even a headbutt or a few well-placed biscuits. Those kind of subtle superhero actions we cats are known for."
"It's okay if our heroics go unremarked for the most part. After all, we have to protect our secret identities and stuff.
But you see, we're in need of a new secret lair. Our old one - well, you'll understand if we need to keep some superhero info hush-hush and all - right?"
"Might you have a home we could call ours? We promise to always fight for truth, justice and catnip. Cross our paws.
Yours in disguise,
Mr. Wonderful and Mr. Fantastic"
Have you checked out the latest superhero movie this summer?
Take a look - you can learn all about these mild-mannered, larger than life felines right here:
These super cats are both available at the Main Campus of KC Pet Project. Come meet these guys today!
"Hullo, could I interest you in some quality cuddling? I'm an expert at it, if I do say so myself.
I'm also an excellent listener and promise to hang on your every word (see photo below for Exhibit A: my 'engaged and concerned' expression)."
"My previous companion, who I was with from kittenhood, can vouch for me on this! I'd still be with her if she hadn't had to move to another country. *sad sigh*
I have excellent couch potato skills, too, and would love nothing more than to hang out while you watch your favorite shows. I'll even root for the home team (sedately, of course).
If you're into gaming, I'd totally keep score for you. Or be your most ardent Guitar Hero fan! I'm totally into that, since that came out the same year I was born (although I must admit a preference for the Hello Kitty games that came out in 2005, too).
Won't you come out and meet me soon? I'm as sweet as can be - as you can see in my video.
Every girlcat needs a little love in her life, and I'm oh-so-ready for that in mine!'
Hopeful purrs,
Baby "
Baby's available at the Main Campus of KC Pet Project. Come meet this sweet, sweet girl today!
"Oh, hi! My name is Sweetie, but you can call me Sassy Pants! Or maybe Sweet Tart?
No, I'm not in the middle of an identity crisis at the tender age of four. I've just acquired a few nicknames around here because of my sweet and sassy attitude!"
"Are you looking for a kitty like me?
I'm at Pet Project looking for a new family because the family I was with moved out of the country. That's the bad news. The good news is that I'm an experienced pet-and a wonderful one, too, if I do say so myself. So I'm all set to make your family complete!
I'm got lots of energy! I love to play and explore and just generally stay busy. I'm curious about everything and want to be in the center of the action. (Confession time: if there isn't any action to be found, I've been known to create a little on my own! )
I'm also known for being friendly to everybody. Well, okay, everybody except birds. I even lived with children before and I really liked them because they were so nice to me! I have to admit that I've been known to hunt a bird or two in my day, though, so it would be better for me to stay inside, or go outside only with your supervision. Um, they say it's probably best if you don't already have a pet bird, too ....
I'm what they call a tree dweller. I like to sleep up high, so it'd be great if you had a tall cat tree or shelf that I could hang out on. Even better if it was near a window so I could keep an eye on all those birds outdoors!
I hope you'll come out to Kansas City Pet Project and meet me soon. I'm so anxious to start being someone's pet once again!
Love,
Sweetie"
Sweetie's one of the longest-tenured kitties at KC Pet Project. Let's get her adopted! You can meet her at the Main Campus of KC Pet Project.
"Hello! My name is Leetha, and I'm a tiny, longhaired tuxedo cat who looooves attention!
(psst: I've been known to let people know if I'm being overlooked, too)
I do have a confession: even though it might be a bit undignified, I do love me some belly-rubbing action.
Bird TV is my fave pastime. What's yours?
"I've been waiting for my humans for a very long time. In fact, I'm one of the longest residents here at KC Pet Project. I fear it might be because I have a minor kidney problem that requires I eat a special diet.
I hope that doesn't scare people off! It's not that big a deal, honest!
Although I'm 14, I still have a lot of love to give, and many years left
to give them in. I would love to spend them with you - won't you come
meet me?
Purrs,
Leetha"
Leetha's available at the Main Campus of KC Pet Project. Come meet her today!
Many of you have heard us mention our "Aunt Jen." She's the one who cares for us when the humans are out of town.
She's also an amazing Cat Whisperer, former English teacher and Manager of Feline Care & Behavior at KC Pet Project. Jen just launched her own blog this week, Mew-sings of the Bored Housecat. When you have a chance, stop by and welcome her to the blogging world.
Below is her first post. It's Harriet's story, and it's perfect for Specially-Abled Pets Week.
***
"It was love at first sight" and "I knew the minute I saw her!" are common phrases we hear in the adoption world. The cats that go home quickly are usually the ones that make eye contact with potential adopters and walk towards them.
Admittedly, I can understand why some sort of interaction is preferable when you are looking for your next companion. That's exactly how I picked my own cat years ago. Once I began working in an animal shelter, I began to see homeless cats from a new perspective.
I met Harriet my first day at my new job. She was huddled in her box, scared and striking out at anything that came near her. No one could pet her with a pole, literally. I had seen cats like her before in the previous shelter; I had helped over 40 of them overcome their defensive fears and go on to find loving homes. So when I first saw Harriet, I didn't see an angry cat at all. I saw a terrified cat. Harriet saw nothing at all.
Being in a shelter is scary enough, being blind in a shelter can be traumatizing. Everything is new and scary and unpredictable. We needed a plan for Harriet, and fast. The first order of business was to get her a very consistent and predictable schedule for her daily care. We began by cleaning her kennel at exactly 10 am every single day. We cleaned her kennel in exactly the same order every single day. Introducing this predictability in to her life lowered her stress level to the point we were able to touch her. Most importantly, she had a better quality of life.
It took only a few days of positive predictable encounters for Harriet to quit defensively biting at anything and everything that came within 6 inches of her face. When you lose your vision, the other senses need to take over. She now has to rely heavily on her sense of smell and the information gathered from her whiskers to navigate the world. The best way to interact with a blind cat is to play to her other senses. We used smell to acclimate Harriet to her heightened sense of touch, especially around her whisker area.
As soon as she was able to relax during her daily care we introduced a new game to get her brain working and secretly acclimate her to things coming near her whiskers and face. Giving Harriet a cue phrase of "what's this?" we slowly presented her with really smelly things like tuna and catnip. The cue phrase was given when our hand was about 7 inches from her face, which was just before her normal striking distance.
Each time we presented a new thing for her to investigate we gave her the cue word with our hand down on the bottom of the kennel. We moved our hand toward her nose on her front left side. We stopped advancing at 3 inches and allowed her to choose if she wanted to investigate the new smell or not. The idea behind these exercises was twofold: habituate her to movement near her face and activate the seeking portion of her brain. She was a little unsure about this game at first. She was also a little unsure of our reasoning skills when presenting her with some of the smells! But she took it in stride and played along.
Harriet is closer now to being comfortable in a world where she cannot see. She will investigate things, her gaze follows friendly voices, and she LOVES tuna. Her ideal forever home will need to continue providing her with positive predictable encounters. Cats have an incredible ability to make spacial maps of their environment; so living with a blind cat is not as strange as it might seem. Blind cats need to have litter boxes, food and water dishes that never move. They need to be set up in a sanctuary room and be given time to memorize the layout of the room. Then, slowly be introduced to the rest of the house (and new things like the cat carrier)so they can build their mind map.
Other special considerations with a blind cat would be to always announce your presence in the room by softly saying "hello", use smells and baby gates to protect the cat from falling up or down stairs, use baby protection bumpers on sharp corners or place cat cheek scratchers on the corners of walls. In addition, remember that if you pick up a blind cat, be sure to place the cat near one of the scent markers, in a place where the flooring changes, or right back in the same place.
Most importantly, remember that blind cats may not be able to fall in love at first sight but love is blind. They have just as much unconditional love as any other cat.
Harriet's at the Main Campus of Kansas City Pet Project. If you are interested in opening your home to this very special girl, please stop by and meet her.
