Meeko Shall Inherit Your Heart

Welcome to fully-fledged spring!

Canine Supervisor Robyn, Feline Supervisor Kayla, and I saw the flowers blooming in Mystic, Connecticut last weekend at the New England Federation of Humane Societies Annual Conference, which drew hundreds of folks involved in animal welfare--from animal control officers, to volunteers, to tiny animal rescue organizations, to employees of the Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA.

We found a great majority of the workshops fascinating. Topics that made us think: open adoptions; pit bull advocacy; animal enrichment; how to tell the difference between feral cats and frightened domestic cats. A lecture that sparked extensive conversation was entitled: "Shelter-ers or Rehomers?" That topic deserves an entire blog in itself, and I'd like to write about it soon.

But for now, let's discuss our animals who've gone from the shelter to a home!

Two dogs found homes last week: Quigley, a nearly blind Golden mix (sweetest guy ever), and Millie, an adorable, floppy, small breed/Terrier mix.

Eight cats went home! Congrats to Queenie, Shamus, Shanti, Parka, Luna and Sebastian. In amazing news, Curry is finally in a home! This seven-month-old cat grew up here in our shelter, in an isolation room. Sadly, over the course of his entire kittenhood, he exhibited chronic vomiting.  Our medical supervisor, Jen, and visiting veterinarian, Dr. Susan McMillan, tried EVERYTHING to fix this little guy. In the end, a raw food diet stopped the vomiting, and he was finally made available for adoption. We're overjoyed to know that he's finally living life outside of a cage.

And we're just as happy about the adoption of our featured adoptee … MEEKO!

Meeko

Many of you have seen Meeko featured on our Facebook page, if not met her in person, because she's been here a very long time. At least, much longer than Siamese kitties usually remain unspoken for here!

Meeko was relinquished to us in late February because her owner passed away. A beautiful Chocolate Point, Meeko is typical of her breed in that she has a BIG personality! And unfortunately, the particular bent of her personality is not especially adaptable to life in a shelter. Meeko has no tolerance for other animals. And is not unendingly patient with multiple human strangers handling her. After a week of "hissy/swatty" behavior with staff attempting to clean her cage, our feline supervisor moved her into her own office for closer observation. Fortunately, free of the company of other cats, Meeko came out of her shell and showed her social side. Kayla quickly learned that Meeko has her preferences: no scratching of the hind end; limited petting; a fondness for men over women; no hugging, please … but overall, Kayla observed nothing of alarm. Still, the thought of placing her in a Tokyo cage in the lobby, next to other cats in Tokyo cages, with volunteers taking her out of the cage to clean each morning … just didn't seem conducive to Meeko's success at the shelter. So the cat moved in with our volunteer and events coordinator, Shayla.

Shayla has a special place in her heart for Siamese and was excited to meet Meeko. The feeling was not completely mutual. After a week in the little office, Meeko yearned to expand her horizons and began jumping the gate. Shayla reacted by leaving her door closed … after which Meeko learned to take advantage of unwitting strangers who mistook the intentions of the blue-eyed cat winding between their legs for affection. She only needed six inches of open doorway.

Meeko's favorite thing in the office was a peacock feather--which object of sport just happens to be all the rage among our cat population these days. But Meeko's no blind follower. She genuinely loved that feather. Staff would watch from the front desk as Meeko suspiciously eyed the feather, daring it to mock her just one more time. When fed up with its cheekiness, she'd raise a chocolate paw and ferociously go to work, smacking its silky head again and again with an alacrity enviable of any boxer at the speed bag. Afterwards, convinced it had learned its lesson, she'd jump aloft Shayla's chair and gaze fondly at the chastened feather with heavy-lidded eyes. That single blue and green feather hanging in Shayla's office provided Meeko the extra bit of physical and mental stimulation she needed to make it through four weeks in a small space. But its significance would play a larger role yet.

Meeko had quite a few interested visitors, but her lack of cuddliness seemed to turn those folks away. Seven Days lent a hand by publishing Meeko's photo in the paper--which garnered quite a few calls of interest. But as soon as the callers learned of the cat's intolerance for other animals, they lost interest. Until last Thursday.

Thursday afternoon, a couple from Hardwick came in specifically to meet Meeko. Perhaps it's the fact that they live amidst acres and acres of undisturbed woods that lends them a "back to the earth" quality. Their cat had died, they said quietly, and they were ready to find a new cat. They'd seen Meeko in Seven Days. And had known instantly she was the one.

Shayla told them Meeko couldn't live with other animals, expecting the usual disappointed response. But no--they had no other animals. It was no problem. The man explained that when he first saw Meeko's photo in the paper, he grew nervous that they couldn't get to the shelter fast enough to adopt Meeko before someone else did. But then a thought came to him distinctly: Meeko is your cat and will be there for you when you are ready. His fears were calmed.

Shayla introduced them to Meeko, and watched warily as the man began to pet the Siamese without apology--pushing every button Shayla knew Meeko has. Finally, the inevitable: Meeko said "No!" with her teeth. But it wasn't her usual impatient fussiness: she communicated gently, with patience, and rubbed right up against the man again afterwards as if to say "No hard feelings!" Shayla couldn't believe it. "He was able to touch that cat more in ten minutes than I've been able to in a MONTH!" she said. And he just kept saying, "This is my cat. This is my cat!"

After a few minutes, the man turned to his wife and asked what she thought. "I don’t think I need to weigh in," she replied. "She's clearly yours."

The man left the room to fill out the paperwork, and his wife made an overture to Meeko. Shayla explained that Meeko is very male-centered--had never lived with a woman and seemed much less interested in befriending women. "You could try offering her your shoe to sniff--she likes shoes," Shayla suggested. The woman did not merely hold out her foot. She took off both of her boots and laid them on the floor. Meeko sniffed the boots--and then dropped to the floor and began to roll over them and over them. Shayla swears she caught a look of admiration for the woman developing in Meeko's eyes. 

"I have money in my pocket for this cat today," the man announced when he returned. "That's great," Shayla said, "But please know there are multiple steps to adoption that usually require a couple of days to complete." Not for this couple. Within an hour they'd completed the adoption process--including obtaining a glowing reference from their notoriously hard-to-reach vet … and we had an appointment open for their exit interview.

"Do you think she'll be a good mouser?" the man asked Shayla, as he waited for Meeko to get packed up. "We have some mice in the house."

"Oh yes!" Shayla replied, remembering the peacock feather.

Meeko's horizons expanded exponentially that very afternoon.

"But the craziest thing about all of this?" Shayla said to me in a credulous voice as she excitedly related the details of Meeko's adoption: "This man has a peacock feather braided into his hair."

That's the good news this week.

Best,
Megan

That Bunny Bond

23 animals adopted in the last two weeks! How's that for sheltering success?

One kitten, a vivacious Tuxedo named Gromet, was first to find a home. He was followed by 16 adult cats! Congrats to Babear, Minnie, Abigail, Tyson, Sabrina, Faye, Astro, Pebbles, Loki, Greta, Cissy, Bea, Miss Kitty, Chocolate Chip and Elmo together, and … finally … SALTINE! 

Saltine

This senior long-haired all-white beauty has been waiting months for a new home. As so often happens with long-term residents here, when it rains, it pours: Saltine suddenly had three interested parties all at once last week! One of the families drove here all the way from Massachusetts just to adopt her. Fortunately, their trip was not for nought: Saltine joined them for the long trip home.

Four dogs are new family members this week, too! Congrats to Terrier mix Oliver, Black Lab Shadow, Cocker Spaniel Squishy, and Lab-mix May.

 

Our featured adoptees this week? Good friends Penelope and Leonidas! Penny and Leo are one-year-old bunnies who were relinquished to us in late February because of a changing family situation. Penny, a black Rex-mix rabbit, and Leo, a gray American-mix rabbit, lived in the same home and got along well, but, we were told, were not necessarily bonded.

Penelope (L) and Leo (R)

Penny and Leo's owner called us at a time when we had no room for two more bunnies at the shelter--but was dealing with an emergency situation. So we turned to a woman who's fostered rabbits for us before: HSCC volunteer Nikki DeSarno, who also runs a chinchilla rescue named "Frodo's Friends Rescue"  from her home.

Nikki previously fostered speckled rabbits Oreo and Samoa for us, and did a wonderful job caring for them. She did just as well with Leo and Penny, who were shy and skittish when she took them in. She noticed that they loved to play, however: "They would entertain me by tossing toys and paper towel rolls all around the pen!" So she decided to use their playtime to help the pair develop confidence and trust in people. She sat with them in their playpen and pretended to ignore them at first. "After a while, curiosity kicked in and I would feel a little nuzzle on my foot or leg as they took turns sniffing me and running back to their tunnel," she said. By the time the two came back to the shelter, they were totally different rabbits. Leo was even outgoing, and ended up starring in one of our calendar shoots!

Leo in "Party Animals"

Penny and Leo are unlike our usual featured adoptees in that they didn't have an epic stay at the shelter; in fact, they were spoken for even before making their debut on the adoption floor. About a month into their foster care, Cara (our small animal coordinator), received a phone call from a woman who wanted to grant her daughter's birthday wish for a pet rabbit. They had been researching rabbit care for two years, she told Cara, and knew exactly what they wanted. Cara told her about Penelope and Leo, and the women wanted to meet them right away. Fortunately, space had opened up at the shelter, so in the bunnies came, and the woman decided on Penelope for her daughter that very afternoon.

The next day, however, Cara began to rethink splitting them up. It seemed each time we walked by their enclosure, the bunnies were grooming each other, lying smushed together side-by-side, or playing togther. Bonded bunnies will fail to thrive if separated, and Cara worried that these two had grown so close in foster care that they really ought to stay together. Nikki had noticed the same thing: most evenings when she came home from work, she'd find them snuggling together.

The mother returned with her daughter the next day, and Cara hoped to convince them to take both bunnies. But she didn't even have to try! In the first place, the daughter decided she was more intrigued by Leo than Penelope. In the second place, she noticed the rabbits' affection for each other immediately. At one point during the visit, Penelope began grooming Leo's ears. "Oh, they love each other, Mom!" the girl cried. It was an easy decision: the daughter would get double the bunny companionship she'd wished for! Leo and Penny went home with a very excited young lady on Saturday.

This is a wonderful story to feature because this family knew exactly what they were getting into. Unfortunately, many people who take on rabbits don't realize that they're actually quite high maintenance pets--or that a rabbit's lifespan is a good ten years!

Cara keeps an eye on craigslist.com, and has already begun to notice the multitude of ads that typically crop up this time of year for baby bunnies. Easter is prime time for bunny breeding, and shelters across the country are routinely slammed with rabbits from May through the summer. In fact, rabbits are the most frequently relinquished companion animals after cats and dogs.

Rabbits are highly intelligent animals that need lots of exercise and enrichment to thrive--we say at least one hour out of the cage a day, but more is ideal. Rabbits can also be clicker trained (we hope to capture video of that soon!) and litterbox trained. 

Freshly-cut Timothy hay is best for rabbits.

And let's face it: they're expensive pets. Rabbits need an unlimited supply of Timothy hay (not cheap) in their diets to prevent gastrointestinal stasis, or blockage in their digestive tracts. They also do best with a changing array of fresh veggies every single day. And don't forget the chew toys! Rabbits need to chew to keep their teeth a manageable length … and bored rabbits will chew destructively. Regular brushing and nail trims are also required.

A lot of this is relatively "new" information. I cringe to think of the life of the rabbit I had as a child, before I knew about daily exercise and training and toys and unlimited hay … The more we get to know our fellow creatures--the more intelligence and complexity we discover in them--the more we realize how few animals actually are "low maintenance pets." And isn't that intelligence and creativity the very reason we find these animals' companionship so fulfilling? More really is more when it comes to animal care.

Fortunately, it seems that Leo and Penelope will get all of the love and attention and enrichment they could possibly desire. And … they have each other :)

That's the good news this week!

Best,
Megan

All About the Connections

Hello everyone!

If you couldn't tell from our Facebook page, this week our minds have been completely dominated by our calendar shoot. Kelly Schulze of Mountain Dog Photography and her husband, Ian, worked like champs to shoot 9 pages of the calendar this week. The most complicated so far? Volunteer & Events Coordinator Shayla MacDowell's, which includes three local men and their companion animals (a lanky Great Dane, a dancing Aussie, and a clicker-trained Tuxedo cat). Most community based was Feline Supervisor Kayla Malzac's shot, which happened in the Burlington Subaru showroom (yes, they did move out every single car for us so Kelly could have the exact one she wanted in the exact place she wanted it!). And the Murphy's Law award goes to Small Animal Coordinator Cara Weymouth's shoot. We wanted to a motorcyle for the shot, and were willing to drive to Huntington for it. Of course, it snowed the night before. Which meant we were careening over icy, rutted dirt roads the next morning to get to the shoot. In the end, Kelly's husband Ian had to ferry all of us up the steep driveway to the location, and we were running 45 minutes behind. That left exactly 15 minutes for the shoot. As the snow fell and the wind blew, Cara stripped down to her mini-skirt and sleeveless shirt, and bravely perched upon the cold leather of the bike. Kelly attempted to start taking pictures, and at that moment, the battery to her flash became temperamental in the cold. Kelly was forced to remove the battery and warm it in her hand between each click of the shutter. Miraculously, she got an absolutely stunning shot. Wait until you see it!

In the meantime, however, I'd like to make our first calendar reveal! In honor of this week's warm weather and sunshine, attached is Canine Supervisor Robyn's Lane's photo :) Let us know what you think!

Robyn and her HSCC-adopted pup, Olive

On to the animals!

We had a great week, with 12 animals finding new homes. Cats Casey, Arfur, Aurie, Monqui, Dude, and Kit-Kit all went home. Dogs Beau (Rottie), Seuss (American Eskimo), Bruiser (Chihuahua mix), Whelan (Husky), and Eddie (pittie mix) found new loving families, too.  

And the featured adoptee this week? A teensy tiny little fancy mouse! Fancy by name and fancy by nature, Choo Choo the albino mouse caught a special someone's fancy last week!

If this were a Hitchcock film, we'd open with a shot of train tracks to symbolize connections. Choo Choo's story is one of lost connections, and her history as we know it literally begins on a train. I received a call last Monday from Amtrak … which was odd. "We have a mouse," the station manager told me. "Someone left it in a container in the bathroom on the train, and I don't know what to do with it. I can't keep it here. I'm thinking of letting it go in the field out back, but I think it's a pet, so I don't want to do that." I began to describe our process for taking in animals: making an appointment, possibly having to wait, etc--"No no, I can't keep it here," the station manager interrupted. "I've thought about feeding it to someone's snake, but I don't want to do that." I told him I'd pass his message on to Cara, and she'd be in touch very soon. "I need to get rid of this thing today," he said. "If I can't bring it in by tomorrow, I'm letting it go. I really don't want to do that."

I finally managed to convince him to wait for Cara's call, and fortunately, we were able to get the mouse in that day. For all of this brusqueness and threats, it was clear that the station manager really cared for the tiny white puff with pink eyes. He'd taken care of her at the station for 10 days, waiting to see if her owner would return for her. He could have gotten rid of her in many different ways--but he truly didn't want to do that. He delivered the mouse to us in the container she'd been found in: a Tupperware with holes punched in the lid and a bit of paper on the bottom.

Cara named the mouse Choo Choo, and we sighed when we thought about how long it would take to find her a home. Rats and mice tend to sit at the shelter for a long time. Cara related her worry to one of our Animal Care staff, Christina, and … a connection was made!

Christina is a self-described "rat and mouse person." She's owned two rats and over 100 mice (yes, you read that right)! But she happened to be mouse free at that moment, and decided she could make room in her home for the little two-inch being.

In the meantime, we purchased a lovely mouse habitat for Choo Choo, with tunnels and a wheel. And it was soon obvious that this mouse had never had such a grand house. She delightedly ran through the tunnels, gave the wheel a spin, and rearranged all of her bedding. "Each morning we'd set her habitat up nicely after cleaning it," Cara said, "And she'd immediately go about putting it just the way she wanted it."

Yes, Choo Choo is very particular. And Christina could sense that. So, the day she decided to take Choo Choo home, she went right out with her husband and bought an all-pink habitat that this fancy girl--renamed Chewy--could call her own. It has pink tunnels, a pink wheel, a pink food dish … As soon as Christina put Chewy inside, the mouse made herself right at home. Cara's last image of Chewy is of her picking up her nice soft bedding in her two little pink hands, and fluffing it with flair!

The little mouse may have missed her connection on the train. But it seems fate was taking her to an even better stop. 

That's the good news week!

Happy sunshine,

Megan

A Bronx Tale

Hello there!

We're still walking on air around here after a week flush with good feeling! We're just stunned by how much our community cares about animals.

On Wednesday, JoAnn responded to a call about neglected chickens. Upon investigation, she found that 30 chickens, two ducks, and two rabbits had been left to their own devices with totally insufficient food and water. The woman's husband had died, and she had moved off the property and mostly given up caring for them. JoAnn was able to find immediate placement for all but eight chickens, and didn't know what she was going to do with these last birds. We discussed temporarily housing them at the shelter, but didn't want them to acclimate to indoor temps, and realized our dog yards were not predator proof.  JoAnn suggested we could maybe ask for help on Facebook? We decided to give it a shot … and the response was tremendous. The post was widely shared across Facebook by individuals and other rescue organizations, and by the end of the day we had 16 options for foster care or permanent placement. The widespread public interest inspired a brilliant thought for JoAnn: Could she develop a network of foster/permanent homes for future livestock investigation cases--a list of contacts to call in such situations? We made a second ask, and the public said yes. JoAnn now has a sizeable network of safe havens for rescued livestock. (THANK YOU, community!) Incidentally, the chickens are now happily roosting at the home of a young couple who had seen the Facebook post--with the exception of one rooster, who was relocated to the farm of one of our staff member's parents.

This rescued rooster went to Wolf Hollow Farm in New York

Secondly, we kicked off two sorely needed cat promotions on Friday.  Our adoption floor has become increasingly saturated with black cats and senior cats. In fact, half of the population was black, and half was senior (yes, there was some crossover there). We published a blog on why black cats and senior cats are least likely to get adopted, and created "Black Fridays" and "Senior Moments." Our Senior Moments promo will extend until February 4th, and offers cats aged 7+ for 50% of the usual adoption fee (just $30!). Black Fridays will continue until our black cat population has been drastically depleted. As you may have guessed, the adoption fees for black cats are reduced by 50% every Friday.

The great news here is that two senior cats (Kona, age 7, and Nala, age 7) were adopted, and five black cats were adopted (Emma, Sid, Violet, Bella, and Miss Muffet) since our promos began on Friday! We also can't forget to mention Oakie, who is neither senior nor sable, but was here for a VERY long time before finding an excited family with three happy young children on Friday.

Three kittens found new homes: sisters Bonnie & Betsey went home with the aforementioned Bella (yes, three cats adopted at once by the same family!), and the adorable buff-colored Caramel went home.

Two rabbits also found new homes this week: Quincey and Mel.

Quincy

We have no new dog adoptions to report, but then again, our dog population is extremely low right now: we've only got nine dogs in house!

That said, we have a wonderful dog story to tell. Bronx's adoption happened the week previous to last, but we felt we couldn't let it slip by untold.

Bronx is a one-year-old Boster Terrier mix with the amusing self-importance and Napoleonic swagger typical of his breed. Staff quickly fell in love with his inquisitive persona, his zest for life, and the fact that he talked with his ears.

Bronx

Bronx was relinquished at the end of November because his owner had to serve in the military. He came to us in good health, but with some handling sensitives (doesn't like his feet touched), nippy-ness, and reactivity to other dogs.

Bronx was unendingly cute, and we knew he'd appeal to lots of people, but his home would have to be very specific. We ruled out children under the age of 13 because of his nippy behavior, and stated that he needed a high-energy family to really thrive. Unfortunately, most of the people who spotted him on the web saw an adorable little dog and looked no further. They came to the shelter expecting a low-energy lap dog, and were rather astonished to meet instead a busy little inquisitor who thought he was thrice his size. They quickly changed their minds.

Until one day, a woman came in who thought the real Bronx might be just perfect. She and her husband had another dog named Earl--a Lab/Cattle Dog mix who was similarly high energy and looked remarkably similar to Bronx in size and coloration. That similarity--superficial as it was--struck the woman as the first sign that Bronx might be the right dog for them. She met him in our adminitrative area, and loved him immediately. Bronx ran back and forth on business, sniffing here, looking there, his ears deftly communicating each thought with delicate twitches and nuanced swivels … and the woman's heart melted. She snapped some photos of him with her phone (difficult to do with Bronx in constant motion) to share with her husband, choked up a bit about having to leave, and promised to be in touch.

She returned to fill out paperwork for Bronx on January 3rd, and returned on the 4th with her husband and Earl for a dog introduction. We always conduct dog introductions between adoptive families and the potential new adoptee, just to rule out any surprises. In Bronx's case, it was especially imperative, because he simply doesn't approve of many dogs. This couple seemed perfect--they had asked all the right questions, and had the busy lifestyle to keep Bronx exercised and entertained--but would Bronx deign to accept Earl?

The day of the introduction, Earl and his family waited in the administrative area. Bronx was formally presented, and … he caught sight of Earl and barked. Everyone held their breath … and then suddenly they were playing, chasing each around and around the room in manic glee! It was brotherly love. As we watched this amazing exception to Bronx's rule of dog reactivity, we felt this match must be fated in the stars. But the decision wasn't final yet.

The couple needed time to think. They just didn't know if they were ready to add a second hyper dog to their lives. They would be out of town for the next ten days … and there was a very good chance that Bronx might find another home before then. The woman sighed. "If it's really meant to be, it will be," she said. For the third time, they left.

We anxiously waited as the ten days dragged on and other people came in to meet Bronx. We wanted him to end his shelter stay as quickly as possible, but we were also pulling for Earl's family to adopt him. It had just seemed so … right.

Friday the 13th proved a fateful day for Bronx. The woman called and said they had decided. First thing Saturday morning, Earl and his parents returned. They took Bronx up to the play yard with Earl, and watched them race around together. The woman explained that she felt she had gotten several more signs about adopting Bronx over the week: for instance, she met a woman at a dog park who said she was going to name her new rescue dog Bronx. Mostly, however, she'd come to the conclusion that she just didn't want to leave the shelter again without him. The man swung Bronx up into his arms, and in an unusual moment, Bronx relaxed, his paws draped languidly over the man's forearms. He wasn't going anywhere, his placid ears seemed to say. Joining this family was his main point of business.

After the exit interview, Bronx donned his new harness and leash and trotted out the doors at a self-assured clip, with nary a look back. As Earl happily fell into step with him, we thanked the universe for making this union "be."

That's the good news this week. Stay warm!

Best,

Megan

The Royal Lotus

Good chilly afternoon!

The freezing temps (welcome back, Vermont) last weekend didn't stop a slew of adoptions on Saturday, with seven animals going home that day alone!

Another influx of kittens helped boost our adoption numbers for the week. Congratulations to Auggie, Bridget, Hudson, Alaska & Pacific, Caspian, and Arabian--all of whom emerged from foster care only to immediately find new, loving families to take them home for good. 

Four dogs are no doubt enjoying the heat in their new digs today! Daesyn (Bichon Frise), Ava (Wheaton Terrier mix), Bronx (Boston Terrier mix), and Annie (Chihuahua) are all living the good life.

On to cats! I mistakenly reported Lyndi as adopted in last week's update, but that must have been a moment of prescience--because she went home on Thursday! She and a cat named Merlin--who went home on Tuesday--were two of the 20 animals taken in from the family who'd been evicted.

The third cat adopted last week is our featured adoptee: … LOTUS!

Lotus

Lotus was here for what felt like FOREVER. In fact, he'd been at the shelter since mid-July, relinquished because his owner had to move into housing that did not accept pets. A six-year-old male with a distinctive white ring around his tail and humongous green eyes, Lotus was reported to get along with other animals, but had a history of being fractious with his vet.

We saw a bit of that here, too. Staff found him initially hissy and somewhat wary, but friendly enough when given attention. As he settled in, his spirits seemed to rise, and staff declared him "sweet."  We still weren't quite sure what to make of this cat, but his behavior was deemed safe and predictable enough for a home. The feline supervisor rated him a "black diamond" cat, and he was made available.

I bet many of you are thinking, "What's a black diamond cat?" Though we've used our feline personality rating system for years, it seems to be largely overlooked.

Each available cat is placed into one of three different categories based upon the cat's history and our observations of his or her preferences and temperament.

A "green circle" cat is ideal for a first-time cat owner or families with small children. These cats are usually highly adaptable, laidback, confident, very tolerant, and gentle in their interactions.

Harry

"Blue square" cats are great companions for those with basic experience with typical feline behaviors. These kitties may have mild handling preferences or sensitivies, and they may exhibit shyness or reserve at first; but with patience and encouragement they tend to come out of their shells and prove loyal friends.

Lady

And then there's Lotus' category: black diamond cats. These finicky felines are best suited for those with considerable cat experience and an appreciation for distinct feline personalities. They are quite resolved to live life on their own terms, and unreserved about saying so. If their boundaries are respected, black diamond cats will bond closely with people they trust, and allow interaction they likely wouldn’t with "just anyone." These cats tend to do best in mellow, low activity homes.

Bella

As you can imagine, our green circle cats tend to fly off the kitty shelves, while black diamond cats usually endure much longer stays at the shelter.

Lotus' case was no exception. His daily routine was the same: he darted from the communal cat room every morning when unsuspecting animal care volunteers opened the door, and made a beeline for our potted palm, which he delighted in gnawing on. After being escorted back to the room and served his breakfast, Lotus spent the rest of the day upon his cat tree castle, curled up on the topmost turret oblivious to afternoon visitors.  

In Buddhist theology, the Lotus represents "floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire; the full blossoming of wholesome deeds in blissful liberation" (Wikipedia).  

For all of his pionted ignorance of potential adopters who stopped in to visit, you could say Lotus was floating above the waters of attachment and desire. He certainly wasn't working on developing any attachments or attracting desire. The months dragged on.

Finally, as the new year approached, our feline supervisor, Kayla, decided something had to be done. It just wouldn't due to let Lotus go on living out his days on top of a cat castle--not when he could find a real home to be his castle. Lotus was moved into our volunteer and events coordinator's office on January 8th--and we hoped he might show better!

Weren't we surprised to find that Lotus bloomed like his namesake! Turned out that in true black diamond cat style, Lotus had no interest in winning the hearts of the masses: he prefered to bond with one or two people. And boy did he bond with Shayla! She reports of her daily love sessions with Lotus, who spent the first ten minutes of every morning saying hello with vigrous head butts to Shayla's face. Who was this new kitty who'd clearly developed an attachment?

It was just three days later that a wonderful couple stopped in specifically to meet Lotus. Seven Days had run a spread on him (they periodically do that for our animals, and it always works wonders!), and the couple had seen it. Shayla worried Lotus might not show interest in new people with her around, so she left. The couple met him ... and he was courteous, but aloof. They decided to look at other cats. Our staff's collective heart sank as they walked away. Shayla returned to her office, disappointed. Lotus hopped right up on her lap to say hello. She sighed as he began his headbutting regimen. "It's all well and good that you're so lovely with me, Lotus," Shayla said, "But how will anyone else ever get to see what a special cat you are if you aren't nice to strangers?" Lotus gazed up at her with his huge green eyes, blinked, then turned his head to the door. Shayla followed his gaze, and saw the couple standing just outside the office. "He wasn't so friendly with us," they remarked thoughtfully. "No," Shayla explained. "He's a one- or two-person cat. We had no idea he was this affectionate until he moved in with me. Now he's like this all the time. He'd certainly bond in the same way with whomever takes him home!" They smiled. "Alright," they said, and asked to fill out the paperwork.

Lotus went home the next day, to a very fine residence. We can envision this black diamond cat now, the royal Lotus, asleep in his real castle, finally "blossoming in blissful liberation."  

That's the good news this week. Stay warm!

Best,
Megan

20 for '12

The good news is:  What we're lacking in numbers this week we make up in great triumphs.

Most exciting to animal care and adoption staff is the adoption of Salty and Pepper, ten-year-old sisters who'd been waiting for months to find a forever family. The couple who adopted them had been in to visit with all of our cats multiple times. In the end, they felt that this black-and-white duo had exactly the mellow personalities they were looking for. We couldn’t be more grateful!

Top: Pepper, Salty
Bottom: Salty and Pepper sit nicely for a treat from feline supervisor Kayla.

Chocolate Lab Kip went home with an older couple who was super excited about him. Cat Mansfield found his new family in JUST ONE DAY! Lovely feline lady Tofu had been returned by her adoptive family a month ago when the home environment just didn't prove the right match for her. She was adopted by a new family on Saturday, and we hope she's home to stay this time around.

We have multiple featured adoptees this week, because they all came from the same home.

Husky mix Posey, and cats Wendie, Trout, and Adrianna were four of 20 animals who came from a single household. The three cats were adopted before our photographer, Mountain Dog Photography, could even get photos of them!

Posey

Early in December, two town officials arrived at our doors with an emergency situation. A family had been evicted from their home, and the officials entered the premises to find stacks of crates inhabited by animals in the apartment. The animals had ample food and water, but--especially in the case of the cats, who were living, in some cases, three to a crate--not nearly sufficient living space. The town threatened to seize them. Fortunately, the owners agreed to sign the animals over with no cause for legal proceedings.

Under normal circumstances, we accept animals on an appointment-only basis. This helps us avoid overcrowding (and the spread of contagious disease that results), and makes it possible for animals to stay as long as they need to until getting adopted (we don't euthanize for length of stay). However, we're almost always at capacity, so suddenly receiving notice that we need to find room for 20 new animals immediately greatly stresses the system. Fortunately, a local veterinary hospital and dog kennel agreed to house the pets until we were able to make room.

Humane investigator JoAnn Nichols, feline supervisor Kayla Malzac, and shelter manger Allison Stark loaded up the HSCC vehicle with JoAnn's tubs of emergency investigation supplies. They had only two hours available to process the animals--which involved photographing each of them with a specific tag number--and documenting the living conditions they came from. JoAnn, Kayla, and Allie processed two dogs, three rabbits, one rat, two hamsters, and 12 cats that afternoon.

 

The cats had all been exposed to upper respiratory infection--the feline version of a common cold--which can spread like wildfire in a shelter environment. So they were given a single room to themselves at the shelter while we assessed them for adoption. Fortunately, most of the animals have lovely temperaments, which means they were given plenty of attention and affection. Because of their outgoing natures, they've been quick to leave the adoption floor, once made available! Aside from the four animals listed above, Lyndi the cat was adopted two weeks ago, the two hamsters found new homes in record time for smallies, one kitten was snatched up quickly, and one of the rabbits went home.

Lyndi

Hoarding situations are often like this: the owners love the animals, and want to do the best for them. But because they become overtaxed on space and resources, the animals' wellbeing is compromised. A family who can't make rent payments certainly can't afford spay/neuter surgeries. These cats may have been confined to crates simply to prevent breeding, as there's some evidence that small groups of cats were periodically given free time in the home. And in stark contrast to the lack of space, we did find lots and lots of food stored away for the animals. Our hearts go out to this family, who lost their home and companion animals in one fell swoop. But hopefully, just as the 20 animals were given fresh starts in far better circumstances, we hope this occurrence might afford the family the same kind of fresh start.

We currently have three more cats and two rabbits from this household available for adoption--and they're all very sweet. We're confident that each of these animals wil have a happy ending--homes in which they can run and play freely.

That's the good news this week!

Please don't forget to join us tomorrow night at The Scuffer steak and ale house! 15% of food and alcohol proceeds from the evening will be donated to the shelter. We'll see you there!

Best,

Megan

Director, Development & Outreach

A Warm Parka

Let the Christmas countdown begin!

The holidays have treated our cause well this year. Not only have we received very generous responses to our recent event and holiday mailings, we've also more than doubled our sales this year at the downtown Holiday Store (which, I might add, has been continually stocked with new merchandise--all donated!). We also had two instances this month of feral cat colony caretakers presenting humane investigator (and cat trapper) JoAnn with sizeable donations of appreciation following the TNRs. On top of all of this, 56 animals have found new homes this month alone! That's five smallies, six dogs, 18 cats, and 27 kittens who have traded a kennel or cage for a cozy living room this season--and for the rest of their lives.

Yes, we're feeling very positive about the future for animals at the moment. We're feeling especially good about the futures of the animals who were adopted last week!

Aussie-mix puppy Ariel was the sole dog to find a new home. But the kittens made up the numbers! Perseus, Hubbard, Munchkin, Justin, Maisie, Bunny, Pumpkin, Millie, Acorn, and Hopper are (hopefully not) climbing up curtains right now. (Only 14 kittens left who are still in foster care … a far saner number than 50.)

Regarding cats, Reese, Addacat and Tony are all outgoing, fellow-cat-lovers who met their perfect matches.

That leaves just one small cat who's not outgoing, and who's intimidated by other animals, who quite unexpectedly found her perfect match, too. The featured adoptee this week is … Parka!

Parka is an eight-year-old gray Tabby with a vanishing temperament--by which I mean she seems to wish she were invisible. Permanently glued inside a deep cat bed, it was typical to see only the tips of Parka's ears. She was, in fact, so immobile, that at one point we became worried she'd lost the strength to walk.

Parka was relinquished to us in August because she was having a bad reaction to the dog in the home. Apparently, Parka became either scared or jealous of the dog as it grew to adulthood, because she started defacting along its common paths through the house. As you can imagine, such a situation is hardly sustainable.

Parka's former owner had taken her in five years ago as a stray. And she was already quite shy at that point. But what was Parka's story before that? She came to us with the oddest behaviors: she loved petting and asked for it, but pinned her ears and flinched each time a hand came near. She seemed too embarrassed to ever lift her tail or rise up higher than a crouch, and she often performed somersaults of pleasure when stimulated--when most cats would be standing with everything raised high in proud delight.

It was almost as if Parka felt she didn't deserve to be loved. She wanted it so badly, but was inwardly restrained to the point of shrinking muteness, with nothing but a beseeching look in her green eyes to hint at her feelings.

Parka was overlooked again and again in her Tokyo cage. And the months went by … August, September, October.  At the beginning of November, feline supervisor Kayla decided to stage an intervention. She was moved to a staff office, where we hoped she'd get more exercise and come out of her shell. She did both to some degree. Staff discovered the full extent of her hidden cuddliness, and though she spent most of the days sleeping in a drawer, we did sometimes catch her cruising the floor after hours. There was progress. But not on the adoption front. And now that Parka was living back in the administrative area, it was even less likely that she'd be noticed.

Another intervention at the start of December: Parka was moved to volunteer coordinator Shayla's office, just off the lobby. She's get seen there … right?

Last Thursday, a 90-year-old woman named Edwena emerged from a shuttle in our parking lot, and made her way into the shelter with the help of a walker. She had lost her cat Hannah two months earlier to old age, and sworn at the time that she'd never have another one. But, as she told adoption staff Amanda, "I'm just so lonely." Edwena had to have another cat. And she had her mind set upfront on one of two, whom she asked to meet. Amanda introduced her to both of the cats, and then helped her fill out an adoption form for either one. Edwena just wasn't sure, though, who it should be. She paused at the front desk to consider. And then her eye caught a sign our shelter manager, Allie, had made to make our vanishing cat a little more visible. "Looking for warmth?" it read. "Try a Parka!" Something about the sign struck Edwena, because she immediately asked Amanda, "Where's this Parka kitty?" Amanda led her to Shayla's office, where, in a moment of affection, Parka had forgotten her shyness and was somesaulting with happiness on Shayla's lap. "That's the kitty," Edwena announced. "Write it up!"

By this point, Edwena's shuttle had returned for her. I ran outside to ask the driver if he could wait ten minutes while Edwena had her exit interview. He graciously agreed. I sat with Edwena for a few minutes while Amanda drew up her paperwork. She told me about how much she loved cats, and how empty and quiet her home had been since Hannah left. She told me that Parka will love her apartment, because there's never any noise--except when the fire alarms were tested. "But I already know what I'll do," Edwena said. "I'll take her to Cats Vermont for the afternoon, and I'll go to the hospital and read. And then, at the end of the day, I'll bring my kitty home." Edwena's eyes welled up a bit. I could see that it felt good--right--for her to make plans involving a cat.

Parka's adoption fee was covered by Purina Pets for Seniors, which is an excellent program run by Purina that subsizes pet adoptions for the elderly. From Purina's website:

"Companionship offers a multitude of benefits. For senior citizens, it can contribute to a healthier outlook on life, promote a feeling of safety, and improve health, including lowering stress and blood pressure"

(http://www.petsforpeople.com/page?pageid=a0e400000022841). 

We are given $2000 a year by Purina to cover adoption fees for people like Edwena.

So we packed Parka up and set the box on Edwena's carrier, just between the handlebars. A perfect fit! The driver helped cat and woman aboard, and off they drove to their new life together. And so Parka--the vanishing kitty--was adopted to fill up a home. And Edwena found her conviction ... and her cat.

That's the good news this week.

Happy, happy holidays everyone!

Best,
Megan

Director, Development & Outreach
megan@chittendenhumane.org