28 Nov 2007

I went to the shelter today after a long absence for my Thanksgiving vacation. I was so excited to get back and see the kitties! Recently there was a large adopt-a-thon at the shelter and its nice to finally see some empty cages. I assume that means that all of the cats that are fit for adoption are up and strutting their stuff for the visitors to see. As a volunteer we don't really get to know how many cats are in the back, or how many are just waiting for a spot in the public areas. I went to the Purrfect Inn room where it usually houses 12 adult cats and found that 5 cages were completely cleaned and empty, awaiting a new occupant. One small cat, who couldn't even be a year old, had one of those green medical cards attached to its cage. This means that he is off limits to me and I am not allowed to take him out to play.

The first one I took out to play with was Tux. My favorite standby. He never gives me trouble and he is just an all around great cat. According to the shelter, the previous owners gave him up because one of the family members discovered allergies towards the cat. They said that Tux is a "very good cat, likes people, loving and sweet. Chases toys, pounces and uses scratching post." So far, all their statements have rung true in the 6+ times that I have played with Tux. He just goes with the flow and doesn't complain, other than when its time to go back in his cage, which I only worry about the cats who eagerly jump back in their cage. After about 20 minutes of play time, Tux just found a sunny spot in the play room and laid down, very content.

Tom Tom is by far my favorite cat at the moment. He has been at the shelter since July. He is just so handsome, but above all, he is my nap time kitty. He is completely different than the other cats in the way that when I take him out into the play room, he doesn't immediately jump out of my arms so that he can stretch and explore. There are times when these cats don't get out to play for a few days at a time, and you know that they must be just so tired of being in their little cages where a full grown cat can't fully stretch out their muscles. But this is not stretching time for Tom Tom, he just LOVES to be held. So I just take my pal over into the corner where a little sunshine hits his fur, I put my legs up and hold him in my arms. He will typically turn around a few times to find that sweet spot to lay down in my arms, and then, it's nap time! But not without him testing me with his "love bites". I am fairly new into the cat world, but I have noticed that there are a few out there who seem to think that nibbling on your skin is a loving thing to do. I am working to correct his behavior, but I think that it is just in their nature to do so. He is so loving and as I hold him in my arms he purrs continuously and rubs his face up against mine and if I am not paying attention, I will find him open-mouthed, with my chin inside his jaws. He doesn't bite down hard, but its definitely not something that should be allowed. I am sure the sentiment was just lost in translation, however, after a firm "no" from me and he goes back to curling up in my arms and we go back to our nap. I really hope that someone who is understanding of cats comes and falls in love with Tom Tom. I don't think that children would be a good companion for Tom Tom because they might not be in tune with his "love bites".

Domino is a new cat, who came in the weekend before Thanksgiving. He is fairly large in stature, and seems like he's been through a lot. Maybe he was a stray for a while. He's a sweet cat and loves to climb up to the top of the carpeted cat condo that recently found its way into the play room. I spent most of my time trying to trim back his nails. You see, he has more toes than normal, otherwise known as polydactyly. This is the first time I have noticed a cat at the shelter with this condition. These cats are especially important to keep their claws trimmed because they don't wear evenly on account of the the extra toes being slightly higher up on their paw. He definitely wasn't enjoying my attempt at snipping his claws, but I did manage to trim back most of his front ones. I can't wait to play with Domino again soon so that I get to know him better.

Alison is a beautiful tabby who has a peculiar annoyance towards certain cat toys. Any type of the wide banded strings or boa-like cat toys on a stick that loosely resemble a tail makes Alison growl at the toy, she calmed down and rubbed up against me. It was somewhat amusing and I wasn't totally sure if she was just confused because the hair on her back didn't stand up on end and she never took a defensive posture. I then played around with another stick toy with a puff ball on the end with a ball inside and she got much enjoyment out of this. She is a very sweet, gentle and a well-mannered kitty with the most stunning eyes.