Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Such an exciting day!

Grant from Crijo Pets arrived an hour and a half early this morning, having driven to Hattiesburg from Birmingham, Alabama.  I rushed down to the Cat Cottage at the shelter, and Grant and Anthony (our resident Crazy Cat Man) had already moved the equipment into the cottage and were setting it up.


This is the Crazy Cat Trio -- Grant from Crijo Pets, Anthony our soft-spoken cat caretaker at the shelter and me.  Which of us is the craziest?  Hey, it's not a competition.  This picture shows three very happy people doing what they can to help cats.


Grant is very proud of his cat furniture (www.crijopets.com).  He explained how to make adjustments in the furniture, how to clean it, what parts might eventually need replacing (mainly the sisal pads), and the benefits of this type of furniture, especially the decrease in illness and the increase in adoptability (happy cats are adoptable cats.)  Fewer than TEN shelters have this furniture so far, so we are part of a very elite group to own this very high quality, long-lasting furniture.


Brontos was the first to check it out, and I know he was happy about the equipment...because when I picked him up, I received lots and lots of cat kisses and nibbles.


Anthony was pretty pleased, and the other shelter workers came in to see what the hub-bub was.  His animals will be living in the lap of luxury now.  And even though he's a man of few words, he LOVES those shelter cats ... and I got a big hug on my way out.  Awwww!

Our house is full of little feet right now, and I thought I'd post some updated pictures, so you can see how all of the babies are doing.


Willie is part of the litter I'm bottle feeding.  She's the quietest and most patient of the group.  Her hair always looks a little crazy.


Oh my goodness.  Will you look at that face? This is Violet, and she's still tiny; I took her to the vet and she was weighed on the LIZARD scale (she weighed 200 grams).  She's an amazing little cat -- lots of personality.  She's turning more grey as time goes on, and Steve LOVES her.


Charlie is giving a big yawn -- he is loud and wants everyone to know he is a BIG BOY and doesn't WANT to be in the kitten playpen.  He loves getting out and exploring.


OK, once more ... will you look at that face?


This is Fargo -- a former foster kitten who was returned by his adopter.  He's turning into a very handsome cat, and soon will be going with Zero to live in a cool bachelor pad with Harrison and his roommate.


Isabelle, remember, is only about eight months old, and has done a fabulous job with her batch of four babies.  She doesn't like picture time very much, but tolerates me ... I think mainly because I bring her food.  Lots and lots of food (she eats about four cans of food a day, and hasn't gained any weight.)


Remember, these babies were all born Easter weekend, so they have Easter names.  This is Bunny, and she is really quiet, sweet, laid-back and easy to please.  I love her white bib and her gentle attitude.


Peter was the last to open his eyes, and I worried about him for a while ... that there might be something wrong.  Turns out he was just taking his time.  I like this picture, because you can see his little family in the background.  He's timid, but will be a very handsome cat.


Peep is the bravest.  She has been the first to really explore the bedroom and likes to hang out by herself now (mainly under the edge of the bed.)  She's pretty muscular for a little girl, and I wonder what color her eyes will be?


Jelly Bean was the smallest but is now the longest and tallest.  I think she'll end up being a fairly large cat.  She's pretty spunky and strong.  I think she's pretty smart, too.


And this is Peep once again -- she was showing me at the start of the photography session that she is a TOUGH cat.

Isabelle's litter will soon be eating solid food -- in about a week, I suppose.  And then Isabelle will have to dry up and go for surgery and adoption.  The Easter Crew has got another six weeks or so until they can go for surgery.  In the meantime, they are all warm, fat and happy.  Life is good.

22 comments:

MoonBeam said...

Congratulations on making that transformation happen. It looks like some fun and comfort. I am happy to have taken part in it.

Cute kitty pix. I must admit sometimes it makes me sad to think (not that I can even imagine) how many unplanned, unwanted animals there are.

Glad you're making so many happy and cared for.

Bobbi

pandy said...

I am SO HAPPY we all got this done for the kitties! :) Violet is starting to look like a little siamese kitten. :)

Kristen said...

Such a wonderful post! That cat furniture looks awesome! You should be really proud, Theresa!


And thanks for the kitty update. (If I were closer, I would take Isabelle in a heartbeat. There's something about her little face that tugs at my heart. If only I could have her transported all the way up to Massachusetts...)

figurestitcher said...

Oh the kittens! So cute. Can't wait to see more pictures of cats climbing all over the new furniture.

Cath said...

Such beautiful kitties , love them all . I could easily adopt so many given the chance and the space.
Thank you for what you did , it will make a big difference to the lives of the adoptable cats.
Wish I could have helped , but no finds at the moment.
XXX

Debby said...

Love the new equipment! We'll all love to hear how much fun the cats have as they start using it more! The Easter babies are adorable!

Anonymous said...

So proud of what you have accomplished in getting this wonderful cat tower to Southern Pines Animal Shelter - The cats are exploring and loving every level! Hopefully we'll see healthier and happier cats at the Shelter!

Anonymous said...

Theresa & Crew:
Thank you all so much for making this dream come true for the Shelter cats! With all the other truly magnificent and magical things happening at the Shelter and Clinic, this one stands out! You can never know how grateful we are for the support!

Lin Harper, former Board Treasurer

Sharon said...

Everything looks awesome Theresa! You should be very proud. The kittens are beyond adorable! I see why Steve loves Violet-she is adorable! however, I am quite partial to Peep...

Anonymous said...

Theresa, congrats on all that you have done for these furbabies. We've got 4 furbabies right now, and they'll all been adopted from our local animal shelter or Siamese adoption center. I wish I could take more, but with 5 humans and 4 cats, it's all we can handle at this time.

Phyllis said...

Cute kitty pics! The furniture looks great.

Anonymous said...

Oh, what fun that must have been to see it all go into place. i am so happy to have been able to help too. Thank you for all you do for the fur babies.
Love the updated pics of the kitties, thanks for taking the time to do this for us.
They are lovely and hopefully they will all get adopted.
That is all we have is rescued dogs, most have been strays from the streets. Our greyhound we got from the rescue.
Keep up the great work, love to hear about them.
Judy in Kansas

Becky said...

Congratulations! The cat "town" looks fantastic, and I just know all of the shelter kitties will love it. Thanks, too, for posting photos of the little ones at your home - they all make me smile!

melodyr said...

I'm so happy that I could be a part of this. The equipment looks great. Thank you for all that you do.

Melody

Debbie said...

That furniture looks great! I would love to see it in use by the kitties if you can post more pics later! And those babies are so sweet! However my 16 year old kitty would not be amused!

Debbie in Kansas

Stitching Noni said...

Congratulations on the wonderful addition to the shelter. This is a brilliant idea & I commend you all for doing such a fab job looking after those dear sweet kitties. I would gladly take them all home myself if I could. My boys are both rescue kittens. The breeder decided to have them put to sleep because there was a question mark around the father. But the vet refused and gave them to the lady that runs the Cattery we use. She helps place unwanted cats & kittens. And the rest is history.

Anonymous said...

Thr new furniture looks great.
The kittens are so adorable. They won't be there long once they are eligible for new homes.
Thanks for share more photo's of them.

dixiesamplar said...

Woohoo...so happy for the gatos!!! Thanks again for spearheading the whole shebang...I loved being able to be a part of helping these little sweeties out.

Your babies are all getting so big and are just precious!

~Monique {My Mark} said...

Oh my goodness... they are all soooo sweet. What a fabulous thing you're doing :)

Lynn D said...

My "For the Gatos" package arrived and I'm very happy with it. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this.

I going to write a thank you (either email or comment) to all the names on the list of contributors. I'll be retiring soon and my XS dollars will be greatly reduced. I will keep the list in mind when I'm shopping. I love the idea of supporting the folks who helped the cats.

Lynn in Alabama

Lynn said...

The cat furniture is amazing! You are to be commended for your effort in raising the necessary funds. The kitties are going to enjoy this to no end!
The kittens are sooooo adorable!
That one little face you remarked on I'm particularily smitten with. I hope you are able to find suitable homes for all of them.

Lynn D said...

Last night when I saw Violet's photo I said to my husband, "Oh God, I would love a kitten like that!" I hadn't really planned to have any more cats besides my Rupert.

God heard me last night and had other plans for me. When I got home today there was a tiny kitten like Violet and a black and white kitten on my doorstep. There was also a very young mother who is skin and bones. She cannot be much more than 6 months herself.

My family has grown. We are minus one bathroom and plus 3 cats. When all is calm I'll make a photo of them. I'm blown away by the "coincidence."

Lynn in Alabama