Friday cat blogging...

I never cease to be amazed by how soft and silky her fur is. Just look at that soft, soft tummy. I'm so glad I got her before anyone else did.

I *heart* SFSPCA Cats...

July was a really good month. We had 289 cat and kitten adoptions. It seems like this year we've got fewer cats and kittens in the shelter and we're adopting out a lot more, a lot quicker. It's very happy making, as you can imagine. I just love it!

Look at this little sweetie-bum. Isn't he precious?


Goddard is a little scared and undersocialized at present but we're working with him and he's coming out of his shell slowly, but surely. I figure in two weeks he'll be bouncing off the walls and pawing strangers through the bars for attention. He's gonna be a big, handsome fella!

And the latest on the greatest:

Talia - Arrival 4.15.07
Smitty - Arrival 5.26.07
Danielle - Arrival 6.1.07
Trista - Arrival 6.2.07
Droopy - Arrival 6.7.07
Cleo - Arrival 6.7.07
Nova - Arrival 6.8.07
Benny - Arrival 6.9.09
Brandon - Arrival 6.9.07
Steve - Arrival 6.9.07
Donna - Arrival 6.9.07
Dylan - Arrival 6.9.07
Chase - Arrival 6.12.07
Selena - Arrival 6.20.07
Goddard - Arrival 6.20.07
Tammy - Arrival 6.21.07
Figaro - Arrival 6.24.07 ADOPTED!
Baccio - Arrival 6.24.07 ADOPTED!
Mystic - Arrival 6.28.07
Stormy - Arrival 7.5.07
Lemur - Arrival 7.6.07
Hippo - Arrival 7.6.07
Tega - Arrival 7.11.07 ADOPTED!
Pia - Arrival 7.14.07
Lance - Arrival 7.14.07
Renata - Arrival 7.18.07 ADOPTED!
Oahu - Arrival 7.27.07
Niihau - Arrival 7.27.07

Friday Cat Blogging...

Best. Cat.


Besides. Maude.

I *heart* SFSPCA Cats...

What a wonderful weekend! I finally managed to catch up on my sleep and I feel 9 million times better.

I thought I was going to spend some time at the shelter on Saturday but I kept falling asleep instead. I think including naps and everything, I got around 16 hours of sleep and it was pure bliss.

Yesterday, I was up early and filled with two days worth of rest so the kitties got more focused attention. I was even able to help match a very nice family with a sweet little one year old tabby named Misty, who reminded me of Ms. Mabel.

Many of my favorites (Tasha, Samantha, and Leo!) were adopted last week so I added a few new kitties to my rounds. One of the sweetest is Cleo:


She's really sweet and affectionate and playful. And I just have this thing about the black and white ones with funny markings on their face. What can I say? She's a little love and I love her!

And the latest on the greatest:

Samantha - Arrival 5.18.07 ADOPTED!
Smitty - Arrival 5.26.07
Danielle - Arrival 6.1.07
Trista - Arrival 6.2.07
Droopy - Arrival 6.7.07
Cleo - Arrival 6.7.07
Nova - Arrival 6.8.07
Benny - Arrival 6.9.09
Brandon - Arrival 6.9.07
Steve - Arrival 6.9.07
Tammy - Arrival 6.21.07
Tasha - Arrival 6.23.07 ADOPTED!
Figaro - Arrival 6.24.07
Baccio - Arrival 6.24.07
Leo - Arrival 6.27.07 ADOPTED!
Mystic - Arrival 6.28.07
Lilo - Arrival 7.2.07 ADOPTED!
Wesley - Arrival 7.5.07 ADOPTED!
Stormy - Arrival 7.5.07
Lemur - Arrival 7.6.07
Hippo - Arrival 7.6.07
Tega - Arrival 7.11.07
Pia - Arrival 7.14.07
Renata - Arrival 7.18.07

Friday Cat Blogging...

This is from BFF Game Night a few weeks ago.

She rested while we all didn't play any of those games. Boo brought her "I Love the 80s" flashcards so we spent the whole night yelling out "Journey!" and "Corey Haim! NO! Corey Feldman!" and "The Facts of Life!"



After Boo and Christina left we broke into teams for "Taboo" where Karla and Ally beat me and Carroll by exactly one point. Daaaaang, G.

Mabel had never experienced a slumber party before so she was more than thrilled by the vast number of warm snuggle spots to sleep in. Good times!

I love stories like this...

Oscar the Cat Predicts Patients' Deaths

Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live.

"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one," said Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.

I *heart* SFSPCA Cats...

We had a great weekend with a total of 43 cats and kittens finding new homes. Huzzah!

I'm spotlighting Stormy this week coz she's a gorgeous little spitfire and I think of my mama and her old dog (who was named Stormy) everytime I say her name.


Isn't she the cutest? Look at those eyes! And that super shiny, silky coat! She's fantastic!

You're probably wondering why she hasn't been adopted yet since she's so amazing and I'll tell ya. It's because she has this bad habit of hissing at everyone who approaches her cage.

It's kind of hilarious because she's just a kitten and she's usually sitting in that tiny green chair that's behind her, looking incredibly cute, but everytime you walk up to her she gives this ominous little hiss, exposing the whitest teeth and the cutest little pink tongue you've ever seen. Needless to say, she's one of the behavior kittens we're working with to get her to greet people with a purr or at least a silent stink eye and none of the scary hissing. I've got faith in her so I'll keep you all posted on her progress.

And the latest on the greatest:

Geneva - Arrival 5.9.07 ADOPTED!
Samantha - Arrival 5.18.07
Duck - Arrival 5.26.07 ADOPTED!
Smitty - Arrival 5.26.07
Cisco - Arrival 6.7.07 ADOPTED!
Droopy - Arrival 6.7.07
Shirley - Arrival 6.8.07 ADOPTED!
Nova - Arrival 6.8.07
Scotia - Arrival 6.8.07 ADOPTED!
Benny - Arrival 6.9.09
Brandon - Arrival 6.9.07
Steve - Arrival 6.9.07
Otis - Arrival 6.17.07 ADOPTED!
Redding - Arrival 6.17.07 ADOPTED!
Mateo - Arrival 6.22.07 ADOPTED!
Tasha - Arrival 6.23.07
Leo - Arrival 6.27.07
Nutmeg - Arrival 6.28.07 ADOPTED!
Mugsy - Arrival 6.28.07 ADOPTED!
Willie - Arrival 6.28.07 ADOPTED!
Hayden - Arrival 6.30.07 ADOPTED!
Lilo - Arrival 7.2.07
Hamilton - Arrival 7.3.07 ADOPTED!
Mimi - Arrival 7.5.07 ADOPTED!
Wesley - Arrival 7.5.07
Stormy - Arrival 7.5.07
Lemur - Arrival 7.6.07
Hippo - Arrival 7.6.07
Tega - Arrival 7.11.07

Maude's anniversary...

Today marks one year without Maude.

I don't think I'd have survived it without Mabel, I really, really don't.

I'm learning so much with the Cat Behavior Program, and one of the main things I'm learning is that I was a shitty, irresponsible mama to Maude for most of her life.

I guess that comes with being a young mom though. It takes many years to develop a certain level of maturity and "putting others firstity". I think I've finally gotten there though, and Mabel is reaping all the rewards that poor old Maudie sowed.

Sorry I wrecked half your life, Maude. I just didn't know any better. I'm making it all up to Mabel though, and I still do miss you, my number one old girl...

I *heart* SFSPCA Cats...

It was crazy busy and I was there a lot longer than I expected so I'm kind of beat. It was a great turnout though and lots of sweetie babies found homes with lots of really lovely people. (Murdock's mommy, I'm talking to you!)

I'll post more deets on Monday coz I'll be back at the shelter tomorrow. It was my goal to get Tasha adopted today but she's still there so there's still work to be done.

I'm exhausted so I'm just going to copy and paste the Cat Behavior Group email and call it a day.

Thanks to everyone who helped out with the event today. It was a great success with 34 animals finding new homes.

22 social kittens went home, as well as adults ELLIE, DUDLEY, TIFFANY and behavior kitties LENA, OZZY and TREASURE!
6 dogs also found homes today!

Congratulations to all the happy new guardians and adoptees!

Friday cat blogging...

Isn't she awesome?



Yes, she is.

I *heart* SFSPCA cats...

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm partial to tabbies. I can't help myself. I love ALL cats, but I want to KEEP every single tabby I meet. And Tasha is no exception:


She's still really shy but she's slowly warming up. When you reach for her she gives a little hiss, but as soon as she's in your hands her motor's fully runnin'. I think she'll be really sweet and a wonderful, loyal companion with just a little more socialization and TLC. I figure that by this time next week she'll be a little show off, strutting her stuff and flirting her way to adoption. You can't really tell from this photo, but she's just gorgeous and has these lovely silver markings and the cutest little striped belly. I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!

And the latest on the greatest:

Geneva - Arrival 5.9.07
Samantha - Arrival 5.18.07
Duck - Arrival 5.26.07
Smitty - Arrival 5.26.07
Cisco - Arrival 6.7.07 ADOPTED!
Droopy - Arrival 6.7.07
Shirley - Arrival 6.8.07 ADOPTED!
Nova - Arrival 6.8.07
Scotia - Arrival 6.8.07
Benny - Arrival 6.9.09
Otis - Arrival 6.17.07
Redding - Arrival 6.17.07
Mateo - Arrival 6.22.07
Tasha - Arrival 6.23.07
Leo - Arrival 6.27.07
Nutmeg - Arrival 6.28.07 ADOPTED!
Mugsy - Arrival 6.28.07
Willie - Arrival 6.28.07 ADOPTED!
Hayden - Arrival 6.30.07 ADOPTED!
Hamilton - Arrival 7.3.07
Mimi - Arrival 7.5.07 ADOPTED!
Stormy - Arrival 7.5.07
Lemur - Arrival 7.6.07
Hippo - Arrival 7.6.07
Tega - Arrival 7.11.07

Friday Cat Blogging...

This is what happens when I get up to refill my tea.

Only moments before she'd been curled up so daintily in my lap, but as soon as I move she's in there trying to hog the whole chair to herself. (A girl after my own heart!)



"Ladylike" she most definitely is not!

Guess who's two!

Only the cutest cat on earth!



Happy Birthday, Mabel-babe-l!

I *heart* SFSPCA cats...

I was accepted to the Cat Behaviorist Program so I'll get to start working with the more "difficult to place" kitties. Generally they're more difficult to place because they're really shy or aggressive so we try to work with them to improve their behavior so that they're more appealing to the general public.

My dear old Maude had some behavior problems and I was crazy about her anyway so my heart goes out to the "problem children" in the shelter. I wanna do whatever I can to comfort them and get them to trust people so they can be placed in loving homes with patient caretakers.

Since I haven't started the training for the cat behavior program yet, I've mostly been working with the "troubled" kittens. They're mostly just really shy so they need extra patience and gentle handling. They really evolve rapidly though and it's amazing how they blossom and come out of their shells. Case in point is Scotia, this week's spotlight:


Isn't he precious? He used to be really shy and would give a little hiss if you tried to pet him, but now he's a little loverboy and is just filled with energy and bouncing off the walls. He loves to play and cuddle and would make a great addition to an active home. He's a difficult one to wear out so you'd better be too!

And the latest on the greatest:

Geneva - Arrival 5.9.07
Samantha - Arrival 5.18.07
Duck - Arrival 5.26.07
Smitty - Arrival 5.26.07
Amalia - Arrival 6.2.07 ADOPTED!
Cisco - Arrival 6.7.07
Droopy - Arrival 6.7.07
Shirley - Arrival 6.8.07
Nova - Arrival 6.8.07
Scotia - Arrival 6.8.07
Benny - Arrival 6.9.09
Vinny - Arrival 6.15.07 ADOPTED!
Otis - Arrival 6.17.07
Redding - Arrival 6.17.07
Tasha - Arrival 6.23.07
Leo - Arrival 6.27.07
Cinnamon - Arrival 6.28.07 ADOPTED!
Nutmeg - Arrival 6.28.07
Willie - Arrival 6.28.07
Hayden - Arrival 6.30.07
Mimi - Arrival 7.5.07 Returned. (I don't know what happened. She's so sweet!)

Friday Cat Blogging...

Eek! I almost forgot what day it was and I've been dying to share this new photo. Isn't she so funny? I totally lub her!

I *heart* SFSPCA cats...

I just got back from the shelter a little while ago and I can tell ya, the kittens are arriving in force! We've now got over 115 furry felines awaiting adoption.

We've still got lots of golden oldies, but we're also just crawling with the cutest, squirmiest, cuddliest, most precious little baby cats you've ever seen. We're off to a good start though, with over 26 cats and kittens already taken home in July. (Two of them being sweet Miranda and my loverboy, Linus.) Woohoo! Lets hope it keeps up!

This week I'm shining the spotlight on Cisco:


I matched him with this sweet little girl and her dad a few weeks ago, but apparently the kitty they already had didn't take too kindly to him so they brought him back. He's such a sweetie-pie, snuggle-bunny that I know some great family will fall in love with him and take him home any day now. He's a gem!

And the latest on the greatest:

Miranda - Arrival 2.26.07 ADOPTED!
Geneva - Arrival 5.9.07
Samantha - Arrival 5.18.07
Duck - Arrival 5.26.07
Smitty - Arrival 5.26.07
Linus - Arrival 5.29.07 ADOPTED!
Boots - Arrival 5.30.07 ADOPTED!
Amalia - Arrival 6.2.07
Cisco - Arrival 6.7.07
Shirley - Arrival 6.8.07 Returned.
Nova - Arrival 6.8.07
Scotia - Arrival 6.8.07
Tot - Arrival 6.12.07 ADOPTED!
Fiesta - Arrival 6.14.07 ADOPTED!
Vinny - Arrival 6.15.07
Petunia - Arrival 6.16.07 ADOPTED!
Otis - Arrival 6.17.07
Redding - Arrival 6.17.07
Tasha - Arrival 6.23.07
Cinnamon - Arrival 6.28.07
Nutmeg - Arrival 6.28.07
Willie - Arrival 6.28.07

(BTW, have you taken a peek at Otis and Redding? OMG! They're gorgeous! I swear they should be show cats, not shelter cats. They're these giant (the size of a small bobcat, I swear!) brown tabbies with incredible eyes and beautiful markings. Hurry and click 'em before they're gone!)

Friday Cat Blogging...

What a dainty little flower...just like her ma. HaHa!

I *heart* SFSPCA cats...

The weekend started with some great news:

CALIFORNIA - Court says city can ban declawing

Cities in California can prohibit cat declawing without running afoul of state law, which contains no such prohibition for house pets, a state appeals court ruled Friday.

The court reinstated an ordinance in the city of West Hollywood, the only one of its kind in the state. San Francisco, where the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in 2003 condemning the declawing of cats, filed legal arguments in support of West Hollywood.

Woohoo! So now we actually have a leg to stand on with getting similar legislation passed in San Francisco. Dolly and I've got that ball rolling with emails to our district supervisors so I'll keep you posted with any new developments.

This week I'm spotlighting sweet Amalia:


Isn't she gorgeous? And you won't believe it, but she was actually "surrendered" (read: abandoned) by her owners after seven years of companionship. Can you believe that shit? I was totally mortified and amazed that someone could willingly part with a pet after so many years.

She's a great cat, although a bit shy and scared right now but who can blame her? She's probably still totally confused and wondering when her people are coming back for her, which is never because they thought she was "too needy" and she "cries a lot" when she doesn't get attention and they just couldn't handle the responsibility of taking care of her anymore. Can you believe that shit?

I even tried to scare them by telling them there was a chance she'd be put to sleep if she didn't make it through the Animal Control screening process (which is true) and they both kind of casually shrugged their shoulders and said, "Oh gosh, I hope not." But they didn't care enough to turn right around and take her back home. It's just as well, they don't deserve a sweet, loving girl like Amalia, or any other for that matter!

And the latest on the greatest:

Sylvester - Arrival 7.29.06 ADOPTED!
Miranda - Arrival 2.26.07
Hindrich - Arrival 5.4.07 ADOPTED!
Garfield - Arrival 5.8.07 ADOPTED!
Geneva - Arrival 5.9.07
Samantha - Arrival 5.18.07
Carly - Arrival 5.22.07 ADOPTED!
Linus - Arrival 5.29.07
Boots - Arrival 5.30.07