Part of my week involves volunteering at PetSmart to "socialize" (a.k.a. play with and love on) the cats up for adoption from the Southern Pines Animal Shelter. After they are given a social and health inspection, and after being spayed or neutered, the cats are dropped off on a regular basis to look for new families from the folks who stop by the store.
This week, I had really been worrying about Abby, Jack (you can see him in my birthday blog below), Jezebel and "CoCo," (that was our name for her...a beautiful Siamese mix in chocolate and cream. It looked like someone had taken her face and smooshed it into a chocolate pie.) Normally, our PetSmart adopts out five or more cats a week, but these four had been in their tiny cubbies at the pet store for four weeks or so. Now, typically, the store will only house cats for the shelters for two weeks, but it's such a great way to find them homes, because people keep coming on by to see them.
I had played with a few of these felines half a dozen times, and every time I'd put one back in his/her cage, I'd say, "Now, smile pretty for the people, and don't turn your back when you sleep. I want you to get adopted!" Two of the cats (Jezebel and CoCo) were adopted out earlier this week -- even though they were the less social of the four. (One woman apparently phoned in and told the store she was sending her husband for Jezebel, even though she hadn't even HELD her. God help her. That cat is a cling-on, and uses her scratchy nails in a frantic kind of death grip around your neck, lest you set her down.) I went over a couple of days ago to pick up cat food, and saw poor old Jack and Abby, two suh-weet cats STILL there, waiting for new families. I told the guy in the fish department I'd be back during the weekend to play with them.
Wouldn't you know it, Steve and I went over today and found EMPTY cubbies! We asked that nice fish department guy, and he said, yes, he had adopted out two of the cats yesterday, and last night, someone adopted the only other two there (one from another shelter, and one that was new from Southern Pines just this week.) It makes me so very happy to know those sweeties are now sleeping on someone's bed, and getting scratched, and talked to, and fed proper food, and getting to look out windows at the birds. Yea for Jack! Yea for Abby! Yea for the adoptive families!
8 comments:
Theresa, you are one wonderful lady to give of yourself this way. I have always been afraid of getting to attached and worrying about the animals welfare. Thank God for people like you.
Theresa I read your blog faithfully and I just have to swing in and say - that I think you are wonderful for volunteering your time like you do. I would do it, but I have a little bit of crazy cat lady in me. I'd end up taking them home with me. My heart just aches when I see kitties needing adoption...and I think "Oh, we can add one more...", but my husband gives me that naughty look and I have to put them back. We have two cats that we have adopted from the Humane Society in our town and we love them....even if they are both a tad bit arrogant ;)
We go to PetSmart often because my 3yr old loves to look at the animals, esp the kittens. We have a maine coon who will be 15 in a few months and is THE cat of the house but hasn't warmed up to the little guy yet so Zack liked to look at the kittens there because they pay attention to him. Anyhoo, they cages were to capacity last week and on Saturday, there were only 2 cats left so the rest had found homes. That's a good thing - even though we missed seeing one kitten who I would have loved to bring home but Maddy would think otherwise.
Kudos to you for volunteering there! I would imagine it's hard not to bring them all home!!!
Tanya
What happy news! I hope they found wonderful homes!
It's really great that you take time to help out the cats. I feel so sorry for all of them but unfortunately DH says two cats is enough.
My sweet Sadie is a PetSmart cat. She had been abandoned in a forclosed home. She was found by the "clean-up" crew after several weeks. She is so sweet and so very patient with my 8 month old granddaughter, I can not imagine why anyone would have left her behind. We still go into play with the kitties, but Sadie gets to live the life of a very spoiled princess until she lives out her days.
There's hardly anything in the whole world that makes me happier than finding homes for cats so I know just how you feel. Thanks for being someone who volunteers and who cares about the cats.
Hi Theresa - I'm so glad to hear all the kittens in that group of 4 were adopted out! a happy ending for that group!
tedra, Phoenix, AZ
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