Happy Beginnings

Note: Grace and Hessie were adopted from Northlake PetSmart.  Their adopted family sends this message:

We have renamed Hessie “Zoey” and the two are a complete blast.  They play around the house like crazy.  The boys adore them and it seems the two kittens love the extra space.  They are also getting on well with Baxter, the Lab.  He seems at ease when he is out during the evening, not worrying about them at all.  So everything is going well.

We are collecting quite a few “amazing” shots as you can imagine with sisters.  One minute they’re chasing each other, next minute they are asleep in each others arms, or one of ours.  It’s hilarious and touching. 

1 – This was sold in the store as a “dog bed” – seems our cats don’t agree!
2 – Zoey (Hessie) Knows Her Mice
3 – Sisters at Rest.  Not five minutes before they were bashing each other’s ears – now they are having a rest.

 – Andrew and Nicky

Brett & Jenny (now Franco and Bussie)

The kitties are doing great! It took them literally half an hour to get used to the house and since then they’ve made themselves perfectly at home!

Bussie loves to sit on the stool we put in front of our french doors and watch the birds and squirrels. Franco loves to zoom around the house chasing his toys or imaginary bugs. They are both very curious and anytime we open a cupboard or closet they immediately climb inside. They are also very cuddly and find their way to our laps as soon as we sit down — and start purring loudly. The pattern seems to be run around and play for half an hour, sleep for half an hour, then repeat. Too cute!

We are so happy to have them and adore them completely.

It’s obvious to us that whomever was their foster family did a great job of handling them and getting them used to people so please let them know that we are grateful for that.

– Annie

Here are some pics of Felicia and Farkle those little cuties. We are uber happy to have them and they are sweet and playful. Farkle is eatin, drinkin, smokin and playin cards every day. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. The kittens are more than we had hoped for.

– Colleen and Clark

I first got to know about FurKids several years ago when the semi-annual “yard sales” started — I was so happy to find an animal charity that could directly benefit from sales of used items. I met Sam Shelton that day and loved her vision for the shelter.

At the time I had recently adopted a FeLV+ kitty knowing she would have a shorter life. Over the next few years, I kept up with Furkids and (though I could not adopt) and started telling people about it. I took their donations up to the market, and convinced my father to sponsor the shelter for a day in lieu of gifts for my and my sister’s birthdays this year.

Sadly, my FeLV+ kitty passed away in December 2010. She had a good life and I have no regrets for taking her. But I wanted my next adoptee to be with me for longer than 7 years, so I wanted to adopt a kitten. The policy of requiring a kitten to have company made perfect sense, so I selected two littermates (then named Snowball and Pickles). After several conversations with Barbara (my adoption counselor, who offered great advice on preparing to bring them home), the day came to pick them up.

There were five in the rescued litter, two had previously been adopted together (leaving the two I chose and their brother Boots). They had all been in foster care since they were born, and it was time for them to get more exposure at the pet stores to increase chances of adoption. But that meant if I left with the two I initially picked, I would be leaving the last of the litter alone without his any of his siblings for the first time in his 3 month life. The thought of leaving him alone and in a cage for the first time in his life broke my heart. Though I knew it would be a big transition going from one adult cat to three babies, the decision to take all three of them home I made pretty quickly.

They are now six months old, getting so big, and all are doing wonderfully. They have very distinct personalities and balance each other well. They are now called Pepper for his “kicked up” personality (Snowball), Piper because she pipes up the most (ie the loudest – Pickles), and Parker, because he’s calm, mature, and laid-back (Boots). Although it is sometimes difficult to manage three active kittens (I only have two hands!), I have absolutely no regrets.

PS. I rarely have to pay a pet-sitter when I travel because I have several volunteers. And it’s mainly because of Parker, who I had not originally planned to take home. He is everyone’s “favorite”. But everyone loves them all and how sweet they are together. Thank you to all the volunteers and foster volunteers for doing such great work.

Amber has been doing great! She is slowly easing into life with us, and continues to be sweet and pleasant. Almost 2 weeks after moving in she took to sleeping at the end of the bed near our feet (she was so cute at first– she didn’t seem to know how to walk on the bed and she’d very tentatively put her feet down. Now she’s an old pro).

She’s adorable when she plays, and she loves to play! I have bought so many toys (maybe too many). –Sarah

Furkids Note: In August we profiled 5 kittens that were rescued and had horrible eye infections.  Here is an update from the adopter of two of these precious kitties:

The kittens, Jesse and Billy, are doing great! They have really adjusted to life with us – and they are hilarious. We’d forgotten how much energy kittens have. We have lots of play time with them, but their favorite game is chasing each other!

Their most recent adventure is the sink – they love the faucet. We are very happy to have them, and so grateful to FurKids for rescuing them.

Thanks again for everything,

–Tracy

It has been a few years since I adopted Abby Black and renamed her Tabitha, but I had to send an update. When I came to FurKids I explained that I had to have a cat that would be able to hold her own against my dog, Aurora. Aurora is known for not always getting along with other animals. Aurora is turning twelve soon and while it took some time, she and Tabitha have really bonded in the years that I have had both of them. When I come home my cat is usually waiting for me at the door, but as soon as I let Aurora out of her crate Tabitha chases after her and they usually share a head nuzzle before going their separate ways. I have attached a picture of the two of them eating/drinking together to show how well they have integrated. Each year for the holidays the three of us squeeze into my Mustang to drive to Florida. She’s a patient traveler as well.

I started my own business two years ago and I work out of my house. Tabitha and Aurora both often stay in my office with me during the day. Sometimes, Tabitha does get jealous of the laptop though, so I attached a second picture of her sitting with me in my family room. She likes to cuddle when I watch TV, but when I’m working while watching TV, it becomes more difficult, so she made the best of the situation.

Tabitha, Aurora and I all thank you for all the work that you do.

– Pamela L.

Everything’s going great.  It took a couple of days for my other cats to adjust, but the kittens made themselves right at home the first day.  Everyone is used to routine by now, and the kittens are the ones leading the charge at mealtime.  It took me a while, but I finally came up with names for them..Raisin is now Jake, and Trix is Charley.  I am sooooooooo glad I adopted them, they are the most affectionate and loving kittens I have ever seen, and you wouldn’t believe how much they have grown in just 2 weeks.  Am sending a couple pics of them…cant get more yet, because they dont stay in one place for very long.  About to open a can of tuna, so things should get interesting…

Overall the kittens (Frankie and Ava) have adjusted very well to living in our loft and continue to be very playful with us. They’re doing quite well so far.

They are constantly playing with each other and their plethora of toys

We’re now plotting to get them a giant cat tree as it seems they both love to climb and really enjoy sitting on the large industrial window sill watching the birds.

–Christian & Sarah

Rupert is doing fine.  He’s discovering the rest of the house quite enthusiastically.  My daughter is debating new names for him.  She’s stuck between “Buddy” (he’s her little buddy) and “Lionel”.  He and the dog have come to an understanding (the dog is fascinated by him).  My 15-year-old cat runs away right now, so that one will take a while.

– Ashley M.

Apollo is adjusting to home life. He is still wary of our Golden Retriever, but hasn’t puffed up at him and only hissed once. It’s funny… if Apollo does get near the dog, he’ll deliver a soft paw pop on his nose to remind him who’s in charge.

Apollo is very loving and responsive to us, but I can see he still needs time and space to get used to the sounds and activity of home life. But he is doing more each day! Last night I closed the dog in one of the kids’ rooms and left our bedroom door open in case Apollo wanted to do some nighttime exploring. Did he ever! This morning I found him in a basement room; I think he had forgotten how to get back to the bedroom or was just too scared to do it himself.

Here’s pic of Apollo checking out the view from my bedroom; there are two bird feeders back there.

– Mary

All is well! Peter and Cotton are well settled in. Amazing difference in personalities — Cotton is extremely gregarious, Peter extremely private (although he allows petting, as long as I don’t try to pick him up).  Here they are just chillin’.

-Stanley

We now have a full house….2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 crazy parents! Beanie joined the family last Sunday Sept 18th. Her beautiful huge green eyes said “take me home” and we could do nothing but obey. She is a tiny adult girl, and is an absolute sweetheart! She loves to explore and is quite active batting mouse toys around the house. Like Max, she loves tummy rubs and is extremely friendly. The dogs and Snowball are getting along extremely well with her and we are quickly becoming a cohesive crew. We hope you enjoy these pics from her first day/week home. -Mary M.

Thought you would enjoy seeing what a handsome cat Rusty has become. In a few short months he now is completely covered with fur! I’m here to tell you, when I brought him home and took a good look at the poor cat with half of his fur missing, I was very upset. How could anyone mistreat this poor cat! There are so many things I thought all cats knew that Rusty is clueless about. He doesn’t know how to play with toys. He had to learn to walk around on the hard wood floors. He stomped his paws for the longest time. He still can’t sneak up on you – you hear him coming. He’s learned that all the windows in the house have the most interesting birds hanging around them. He watches them for hours. Cat TV I call it. Sometimes he turns around and looks at me as if to say “who are they and why are they outside?” Riggs taught him to meow for canned food. So the two of them sing quite a song for their supper. Rusty doesn’t really have a meow it’s more like a loud squeak. Rusty had the loudest purr on earth. He whole body gets into it. He purrs until he falls asleep. It’s the funniest thing. All this noise and bam! he stops. He never misbehaves. He never climbs on anything or tries to scratch the furniture.

He loves my husband John. They watch tv together. When John is out of town, Rusty goes to the place where his shoes usually are and waits. Or he sits and stares at the door. Or he comes to me, looking like he lost his best friend. I think he is a little OCD. He is the cleanest cat on the planet. We tease him when he suddenly stops what he’s doing to groom himself. “Hey Rusty, did you miss a spot?” At least he stopped the constant licking. I told my husband, before Rusty’s hair grew in and we thought he was going to permanently, partially naked, I’m going to have to buy Rusty a coat for the winter. He’s going to freeze to death.

Rusty is coming out of his shell a little every day. He comes alive in the middle of the night. He runs through the house like someone is chasing him. Then he will end up on the bed, purr for a while and pass out. His new thing is to jump on the bed and pace back and forth at the top of the bed above our heads. He head butts us and finally settles in. He will sleep for little while, wake up, make a funny squeaky noise and then he’s off to his favorite spot on the couch.

Mealtime is interesting. Riggs and Rusty sing for their canned food. It takes about an hour to feed Rusty canned food. He gets like a quarter of teaspoon at a time. Any more than that and he throws up. I told John, at least he is considerate when he throws up — he does it on his plate.

Riggs is MY cat. He loves on me and follows me around. He’s a little odd. He wants you to pet him to death but when he’s tired of you he swats at you and then goes and lays at your feet. His favorite thing to do lately is wait for me to get into the recliner and recline. He will lay at my feet up in the air all day if I will stay there.

I look at them both and wonder how anyone could have abandoned them or mistreated them. I’m glad I met them and took a chance on them both.

Riggs is also known as Rigg a Roo, Riggins, Mo and Rugs (rusty…riggs…sometimes the letters get mixed up)

Rusty is also known as Rusty Roo, Love Bug, Mr. Clean, Big foot

 - Cathy S.

After 3 years, Allie (aka Kanga) is still very attached to Artie (aka Arnold). She would have been tough to adopt out to anyone else as she is not sure of people. She will allow me to pet and scratch her at certain times but she seeks her comfort with Artie! Artie, on the other hand, loves to be where ever I am, and is very talkative about it. Thought you would enjoy the picture!

- Suzanne P.

Kasper is doing great. It took him about a day to get comfortable here. When he first got home, he immediately ran out of his carrier. Since then he has pretty much been next to me nonstop. He follows me around and sits down next to me whenever I sit (currently he is trying to sit on my laptop).

-Margaret B.

I renamed Patches to ‘Tuni’ for Petunia.  She is doing really well.  She is not afraid of my dog and actually puts him in his place.  She came and curled up on the couch with me last night for the fisrt time.  She really is a great addition to my home!

-Corinne K.

Here is a picture my daughter took the day after the kitties came home.  They enjoy curling up together when they aren’t chasing each other around!  Link (formerly Pavarotti) has learned how to climb up the ladder to Katie’s loft bed – no kidding!  Everyone in the house is in love with these cats!  Zelda (formerly Belinda) had her stitches removed and is doing great.  They are both getting bigger every day.  -Liz

My husband, Michael, and I adopted Lemon Drop from Fur Kids last year as a companion kitty for our little boy, Alfie (also a rescue cat). It should be mentioned that both of our babies are black cats and we love them! Neither my husband nor I can understand the superstitions surrounding black cats. They are hilarious and have their own little personalities which are just delightful! They are also extremely loving and the companionship that they offer to us is so very rewarding!

Lemon Drop (renamed “Sissy”) has been a wonderful addition to our home and you can count on her to always provide comic relief when we need it most! She loves to sit on our backporch table and talk to the birds. She has the cutest little “chirp” rather than a “meow” and I think she actually DOES talk to them!

Sissy has attached herself to a small piece of rope/twine that was on one of my shower loofahs and carries it everywhere with her. It’s hilarious to see this little black cat carrying around a piece of rope in her teeth! She comes into our room at 4:00 am sharp every morning after eating to play “fetch” with the piece of rope and becomes stressed if she can’t quickly locate it. I get up to play fetch with her for a few minutes and then she and I settle down together to sleep for a couple more hours before beginning our day.

Sissy and Alfie have enriched our lives more than we can ever say and it is our wish that more people open their hearts, homes (and wallets!) to the babies who are currently living at or with Fur Kids volunteers. I can promise that your lives will be forever changed for the better and you will have a little furry family member and friend for life!

-Stephanie F.

Sept. 2011. I just wanted to let you know that Frankie and Tater Tots are doing great! They are 2 of the sweetest boys I have ever met!

Frankie is completely at home now and no longer hides under the bed. Tots is a very curious little man and I think he has explored every inch of his new home and has decided the bathroom sink is a great place to sleep. They love to chase each other through the house and wrestle and then stretch out for some belly rubs before napping. They also love to play with their assortment of toy mice and look forward to their nightly treats. They are awesome boys! I am looking forward to the many years of joy these little men are going to bring to my life.  - Lori T.

We are so happy with our new little babies. They have adjusted wonderfully to us, the house, and Ben (the dog). Ben absolutely adores them and seems to be very entertained these days. Luke (Ash) and Olivia (Hannah) spend their days playing and chasing each other, alternating with long naps on their cat tower. They sometimes wake up and come snuggle with us, just to make sure we’re still there. They are both so affectionate and sweet. They added tons of joy to our lives! Here are some pictures my husband took. Lucky them, he’s a professional photographer:) But also, that they are so photogenic… I’ll keep sending a few once in a while.  Thanks for facilitating such a great experience for us.  -Alexandra

First update: Wanted to give you a quick update on Gordon and Karma.  Are these the sweetest kitties in the world, or what?  We got them set up in their new room yesterday and they seemed to adjust quickly and just fine.  They have been the sweetest boys ever.  Spencer is totally in love with them both too.

I went to check on them this morning after a rough night of thunder and lightning.  I was met at the door by two sweet, sleepy boys who couldn’t purr loud enough.  I sat on the floor and pet them.  Gordon climbed back into his new bed and was happy.  Karma climbed up on my shoulders and nuzzled my neck.  They are precious!

My other three cats know they are here.  Two are stressed about it.  One doesn’t seem to mind.

Second update: Just wanted to let you know that Gordon and Karma are doing great.  We just love them to pieces and they are adjusting well.  Gordon loves to lay down next to us and have us pet him.  He closes his eyes, purrs up a storm and has the biggest smile.  Karma is a love too, whenever I go in he usually reaches for me to pick him up and he gets up on my shoulders for a while for some love.  I get some head butts and lots of loud purrs!

We tried to introduce them to the other kitties last night through a crack in the door and TicTac and Whizzer hissed and both ran off and hid.  We decided to continue to take things slowly with the introduction.

Latest update: The boys are doing great — so sweet and fun to have around.  We are letting all of them be together for several hours at a time now, supervised.  The boys are very interested in the girls; the girls are interested when the boys are in their safe room.  When they are all out together, the girls usually hide under a couch and make some growling noises to warn Gordon and Karma.  The boys simply look and turn around and walk away. We haven’t had any full blown fights and we make sure that the girls have the run of the house at night and that the boys are in their space.

We’ve gradually had them all together for longer and longer periods of time — no incidents.  Just wishing my girls were a little nicer to these sweet boys!  Last night around 4:15 am I heard some noise in the hall and went to check it out.  All three girls were in the hallway right in front of the door where Karma and Gordon were sitting.  There was definitely some communication going on and it didn’t involve hissing or growling.  Seems so funny to me.  The dance continues.  It will just take some time.  These are the sweetest kitties ever.  We just love them.  -Barb W.

September 2011: Things are wonderful with Michelle, now called Kali. She explored every inch of our house the first day and since then has made herself completely at home. She and our little Min Pin, Sadie, have learned to enjoy each other’s company. Sadie loves Kali’s food better than her own so we have to put Kali’s food up high. Kali is very vocal and lets us know when she wants it back down. We are like parents learning the cries of their newborn. Kali has different sounds that we are learning mean different things. She is comical and we just love her and think she is beautiful as well. She is very friendly and loves all of our visitors and thinks they all love her too. We have been treating her from the first day for a runny eye. Dave brushes her daily and she purrs softly. Thank you for letting us adopt her.   – Peggie and Dave T.

September 2011: This picture was so cute I had to share. I came around the corner this morning to find Shiloh and Dinah side-by-side, looking right at me. It’s almost like I interrupted a conversation between them. I think they love each other much more than any of us really know.

-Michelle

Furkids’ note:  Look’s like Dinah is in charge of the remote.  Wonder what they were watching. 

August 2011: Shep is doing great!  He has adapted very well to his new home and lifestyle.  He has got to be the sweetest cat ever.  When I come home from work he greets me with kitty flavored kisses, lol.  He’s a licker, but it’s cute.  He follows me around from room to room always trying to put his paws up on my shoulder, then gets cozy with me everywhere I sit.

He’s a very smart cat.  He started to claw on the couch and I politely told him no, brought the cat scratcher in the room, and told him “this is where you scratch” and he did and has not scratched the couch any more…he is awesome.

He goes wild over the laser pointer.  It’s his favorite toy.  He even realizes that it’s coming from my hand and knows it’s playtime when he hears the click from the button being pressed. Feathers are his next favorite.  I brought home one of those sticks with feathers at the end and he just went crazy over it — tore half the feathers off in just a few minutes, leaving remnants to be cleaned off his claws.

He also enjoys waking me up in the morning right before my alarm goes off by laying right on my chest and licking my face, and if I am sleeping on my stomach he gets on my back to make biscuits until I awake. It’s a good thing I have a thick blanket.

I am so happy to have him as a part of my family.  Thanks Furkids for bringing happiness into my life and everything you all do for these animals and the people who adopt them!

- Jason

Soon after adoption in February of 2010 Randy wrote:

Finally after just under a week, Convict aka Supafly, has decided on a name for himself. Merlin, since he is a gray coat –  for Merlin the Wizard of Camelot’s beard and since he is a magical little kitten.

Tonight, while reading on the couch, Merlin decided it was playtime. Although the usual items (rattling mouse, crinkle ball, etc) did for awhile, he decided my other cat Nimbus needed to wake from his nap and play.

For the last 20 minutes, the two have been playing & wrestling. Although Merlin is quick with his paw, Nimbus is in a bigger weight class. Playing back and forth, the boys chased and pawed and had a blast. Once Nimbus had his fill, he flopped and laid down. This then prompted Merlin to get the catnip carrot and taunt Nimbus with it. For another few minutes they played.

The speed at which they are bonding is amazing. When you said you had a friend in mind, I am not sure you could have made a better choice.  You rock.

Several months later Randy wrote:

Needless to say, the boys are getting along great. Merlin has grown much, in the short time since he became part of the family.  Although I wasn’t able to get a picture of it, since I was half asleep & it was in the middle of the night, Nimbus & Merlin were curled up in a circle with each other.

It’s been almost 5 years since I adopted Meggie from Furkids. Just wanted to give you an update.

Meggie is doing very well. She has become the über alpha cat!!! She runs the house and its occupants with an “iron” paw – nothing gets by Meggie. She can be a bully with the other cats at times when she thinks they’re getting food she’s not getting (they’re not) or curled up in a spot she thinks should be hers. Her favorite vantage point is on top of the cabinets above the refrigerator where she can keep an eye on what goes on below. I finally put a couple of cat beds up there so she could at least be comfy – LOL! She and one of my other cats, Darla, like to hang out up there. My petsitter tells me that whenever she’s taking care of the cats, Meggie follows her all around the house to “supervise.” After years of trying, I’m finally able to trim her nails by myself. She doesn’t much like it, but at least she doesn’t try to rip me to shreds while I’m doing it.

During the summer, it’s inevitable that a housefly or 2 will get into the house. Meggie is an excellent tracker/catcher of flies! However, my 2 youngest kitties, Aqua and Rainey, have pretty much taken over that function from Meggie, but she doesn’t seem to mind so much. When I used to put the adoption kits together for FK, Meggie loved to supervise that activity, too!

Just wanted to say hello from Meggie and all the felines at the Foster home – Meggie, Carla, Darla, Natty, Aqua, and Rainey!

Sara F.

I wanted to let you know that Johnny has continued to make good progress in his adoptive home. Our blonde 6-7 yr-old tabby, Leo, has finally accepted him. I just took these photos today of Leo grooming Johnny as they were lounging together on our living room floor. Johnny still can frustrate Leo with his youthful exuberance (he likes to pounce on him playfully sometimes), but overall life is good here.

I hope you will share this with the man who rescued him & with his foster family. Johnny loves being carried around the house like a baby & demands being picked & cuddled when anyone returns home. He is very smart & very playful. A true joy!

Dee R.

Furkids: How are things going with Orpheus?

Jack: Orpheus is happy as a clam. Still wary of Noodle, the alpha cat, but making progress with the others.

Furkids: Is he playing with the other kitties?

Jack: Of course. They don’t quite know what to make of him. His behavior has been impeccable. He found the scratching post right away. We had 8 for dinner here yesterday and he was the hit of the evening.

Raspberry’s and Blackberry’s first night at our home.  They are doing great and could not be friendlier. Turns out Blackberry is a bit more spunky than Raspberry.  My other two kitties are not too interested in them at this point.  Which worked out nicely for Blackberry and Raspberry last night as they got to sleep in the master bedroom on the enormous bed with tons of pillows. They are so cute with great personalities. I will continue to send pictures. Thank you Furkids! – Patricia H.

September 2011: Updated pictures. They are getting big! Both of them have personalities that just don’t quit!