Stick Figure Cat!

I went to IKEA

I wanted to get a new chair, and maybe look at kitchen stuff. But after wandering around for almost an hour, I lost patience and walked out with nothing but cat toys.

Max is such a good sport. He came right over to check everything out. The Spots seem curious about the tunnel, but they won't go in. They've been taking turns lounging in the cat tent though.

So unfair

The Helen Krause Animal Foundation (which I came across through Flickr) has an awesome shelter. Instead of individual cages, their cats get nice big communal rooms to lounge in, and HUGE sun decks to watch birds from. Still, as Maggie knows, there's no place like home. She was returned to Helen Krause 13 years after being adopted as a kitten :(

From Star Cat's Flickr stream

I hate it when older pets are given up. They've earned their happily ever after! Why is it that their previous people get to walk out the door, with no obligation to make up for what they've taken away?

She can do it!

Liz says Elsa the shelter kitty looks like Rosie the Riverter. I think she's right! Here's the can-do cat:

Check out that look of grim determination on her little face. And here's Hillary as Rosie (seen on msy_nyc's Flickr stream). Elsa got herself that one vote she needed in no time. Hillary? Not so much. On to the Guam primary (on May 3, 9 delegates).

Will he ever forgive me?

The Spots are looking so, so mad after what I put them through this morning. Dr Marohn (our house call vet) came by and microchipped all three cats. The gray brothers were actually reasonably cooperative. Of course, they've been giving me dirty looks ever since. Blame it on Mr T, you guys! He gave me the idea.

Max was the opposite. He squealed and squirmed and HOWLED when the microchip went in - then he forgot all about it and wanted to help Dr Marohn with her paperwork.

Before she left, Dr Marohn told me a sad story along the lines of Michael's recent blog post. A client of hers could no longer keep his 7 and 9 year old cats because one of his kids became life-threateningly allergic. He couldn't find homes for them because of their age, and didn't think they'd have any better luck at a shelter. Rather than subjecting them to a miserable wait before being put to sleep, he called Dr Marohn to have them enthanized at home.

Dr Marohn said she couldn't do it. Instead, she offered to adopt the cats - even though she already had 2 cats (not to mention 2 dogs and 2 kids) and her husband is allergic. Another home materialized at the last minute for one of the cats, Dr Marohn took in the other, a little Siamese who became part of the family in no time. Isn't that cool?

Some day, someone...

While watching Max take his morning walk across the kitchen counter, I told him I still don't understand how it's possible that nobody scooped him up during all those weeks he waited in a shelter cage. He's the best cat ever!

Some day - hopefully one day soon - someone will say the same thing to Smokey, who's been waiting since March 3 for a home. He is stunningly gorgeous, but you can see in his eyes that he's getting tired of not being picked. I hope his person is just around the corner...

He's a Max cat too!

Max was brought to the shelter with his sister Maxine. They were only 6 weeks old and sooo tiny! Maxine had already founded a home, and Max's adoption was finalized during my volunteer shift. But for a few hours I listened to him call out to passers-by in his little kitten voice. "I'm cute! Look at me! Look at me!" he said.

My Max does that too! Whenever I open the apartment door, he runs out into the hallway and tries to start a conversation with any neighbors he sees. This morning, feeling neglected while I brushed the Spots, he got up on top the kitchen cabinets and meowed until I came and told him he's the cutest.

Like a cupcake

Tiny and soft and sweet. Perfect!

Tiny and soft and sweet. Perfect!