A Cat Kind of Day

I went to the shelter a few days ago with the intention of working with the rabbits (you know, what I'm actually supposed to do), but ended up photographing cats the whole time. It was the day of senior cats, as two more got added to the List. That beautiful girl above is Layla, who's 7 years old and was surrendered by her owners a month ago. She's quite aloof, coming over to say hello but being much too dignified to flop over for a belly rub.
Simba is 5 years old, and was also surrendered by his owners a month ago. Unlike Layla, he really, really wants your attention. His card has a note from a volunteer saying he 'seems to be sad lately'. This loving purr-machine really wants a family - he threw himself at me, cuddling up beside me, so happy to be cuddled.
So I was walking by Sweeper's window room, and I stopped to say hi to him as always, and saw a long-haired cat with him. A very familiar long-haired cat. I checked the card, and yup - it's Sunny, my favourite cat ever. He got returned because the other cat in the house beat him up. Poor Sunny, he seemed depressed to be back. I hope that doesn't hide his awesome personality from potential adopters.
Finally, to add some small animals to this post - the psychotic little dwarf got adopted already! Sounds like it was a bunny enthusiast, too! This precious little thing didn't even have time to get a name. Good for her!
A family of fosters coming my way tomorrow....heads-up for super cute photos!

Scenes from the Shelter

What are you doing under there, Daisy? Getting into trouble, no doubt.
Hey look, a dog! I adore Maggie. Look at that pink tongue! I couldn't resist.
I don't know this cat's name, but I do know that there was a big 'ADOPTED' sign on her cage, which makes this photo 100 times better.
And as always, Fred and George raise the bar for cuteness levels.

Hamster News

The two Quebecois hamsters I first mentioned here are...not doing that great, actually. These two girls have had quite a journey. TAS South is involved with a program called Le French Connection (and I strongly recommend looking at that website, it's a really inspiring program) where we transport dogs out of Quebec shelters and bring them to Toronto. On a recent run to Montreal, a shelter worker brought back two hamsters with the dogs, and they ended up with me as fosters.
Up above is Maelle, and if either of them are going to become tame at some point, it'll be her. Since I'm in Olympics fever right now, she's named after Maelle Ricker (gold medallist!). Maelle is a little calmer than the other one.
The other hamster is Marianne (named after Marianne St-Gelais), and she is crazy. You can't touch her. She is arguably cuter (little white face!) but she's not tame in the slightest.
Both of them are Black Bear Hamsters, which are a type of Syrian hamsters and are super-cute. They'd be adopted super-fast, if it was humanly possible to hold them. They're only a few months old. I have no idea what happened to them, but they are seriously messed up, and skinny, and scared of everything.
We're trying to fatten them up now, however, and get them tame, so hopefully their futures will look a little brighter.
I have to admit to getting a little frustrated with them - then this morning, I turned around to see Maelle sitting at the side of her cage, paws resting on the bars, watching me curiously. I went up to her and she let me stroke her little paws for a bit before ambling away.
Maybe there's hope for them after all.

Brown & White Is the Way to Go

Allie has been sent off to Kennel Cafe at the suggestion of some bright volunteers. Allie's been in the shelter system for about a year, which is just ridiculous. Kennel Cafe is a great place, and this sweet, quiet girl's chances for adoption just went up about 100%.
Cider isn't at the shelter either, she's currently at Petsmart at Laird & Eglinton, trying her paw at finding a family there. This gorgeous girl has a very relaxed attitude.
Mesha has an attitude! She's an independent girl and really, really doesn't get along with other cats. Her personality quirks just make her more likeable, though, and she's quick to snuggle up beside you. She's great company!
Pecan is currently in the cage right beside Mesha, and they look like twins, which could be very confusing if you don't know them. They are nothing alike though - Pecan is very regal and dignified, calmly observing the people go by. When you take her out, however, she is sweet as pecan pie and happy to cuddle up to you.

Arrivals & Departures

The adopt-a-thon was a relative success for the small animals. Paisley and Weet, the guinea pig girls, were adopted, as well as Bonnie the baby pig. Chocolate (above) was also adopted. It's always a small worry about adopt-a-thons that these are 'impulse' adoptions. The guinea pigs will be fine, I'm sure, but I hope Chocolate got a nice home that gives him lots of exercise.
Clyde, the other baby guinea pig, had been marked as 'adopted', but the person who wanted him never came back! So Clyde, along with Thumper, is back at the shelter still waiting for a home.
The shelter also took a litter of darling puppies to the store, and every one got adopted, of course!
Pirate also got adopted! Hooray for Pirate! I hope we get an update on her, because she was just the most darling kitten ever. Thank you, adoptive family!
And finally, we have a new bunny at the shelter, and s/he (not sexed yet) is an absolute doll. I'm in love! This little one is a ball of energy, jumping over everything and crawling all over me (including jumping on my head at one point). She's just a bundle of entertainment, and hilariously crazy. Plus, cute as a button.
And in other 'arrival' news - Pepper the bunny has left my house and returned to the shelter as of today. I think he's a bit more socialized, but you know, it's hard to tell.
Hey, go look at our Facebook page!

Happy Family Day!

Today was a public holiday in Ontario called Family Day. It's only the third year of celebrating Family Day - it was an election promise from our premier Dalton McGuinty, and it caused a large amount of grumbling from businesses who didn't want another holiday. Whatever, businesses, I love Family Day!
Because it's a public holiday, the shelter was closed, but I went in to hang out with the bunnies anyway. It was actually a great opportunity, because I got to use the big meet-and-greet room to let the bunnies have a nice run!
I took out Emma first. The dogs were barking a lot and the two new girls were getting stressed out. When I took her into the bigger room, she circled me a few times, staying pressed against me - clearly this sweet girl was a loved pet at one time, because she equated me to safety. After a little bit, however, she worked up her courage and enjoyed her exercise time.
She's such a pretty girl!
The boys, of course, loved the big room. Fred and George have a lot of energy and they loved the opportunity to explore a big space and play.
They are also dumb and have no survival instinct, as when the dogs went by they ran right up to the window and stared at them. Drove the dogs crazy! Those boys are certainly characters.
Lastly, I took out Daisy (she has a name now). She was very timid and nervous, and she sat on my lap while I stroked her and tried to encourage her to move around the room. After about 15 minutes I was ready to give up, but then she jumped off. She actually ended up making the most of the room, running around and bouncing off the walls.
I love being able to give them room to stretch those long legs. And it's nice to be able to focus solely on the animals, rather than talking with all the people visiting. Overall, a good Family Day!

Olympics-wise - Congrats Kristina Groves, Mike Robertson, and of course our new national hero, Alex Bilodeau!!!

Field Trip

I went by the adopt-a-thon at Petsmart yesterday. Adopt-a-thons are a blessing and a curse - many homes are found, although there's also the worry of 'in-the-moment' adoptions at a pet store, and the small animals are stuck in a cage all day. Which usually makes them cranky and less likely to be adopted. The staff are always super-busy, so when I go I do my best to entertain the small animals and deal with small poking hands.
Thumper is a little boy who loves to run around, so we set up the cages so he could run around the tops however he pleased. He was a superstar yesterday! He was held by about 20 different people, petted by many many children, and he always came over to say hello, even after hours of this. He was a perfect gentleman! Unfortunately he didn't find a home but maybe today will be his day!
But remember how I said the guinea pigs would find a home? Adopt-a-thons are definitely awesome for guinea pigs. The two girls Paisley & Weet went to a home, as well as Bonnie (above), one of the babies. Clyde, the other baby, was waiting for someone who promised to come back and get him, but they didn't show so he's probably up for adoption again.
The staff were especially busy yesterday because we had a whole bunch of puppies! A litter of 11 was surrendered to the shelter a few weeks ago, and since they're old enough for adoption now they were brought to the adopt-a-thon. Of course they went super-fast! This little guy wasn't with them, but he was sure charming a lot of people.

I'm off to the last adopt-a-thon day now: Thumper and Clyde will try their luck again, and some more bunnies will probably join us. It almost sounds like a reality show!

On a non-animal note: CONGRATS JEN HEIL! (I'm a huge Olympics person, there's going to be a lot of this)

Update on Harrison

Harrison's new mom has sent along a great update:

Hello,

I wanted to send you an update on Harrison, the rex bunny I adopted from the Horse Palace in late January.

He is a friendly, confident bunny who is getting along well with our "old" bunny and our guinea pig. He loves to run around in the designated bunny area of our house (upstairs hallway), and will hop over to me, my husband, and 6-year-old son to have his nose scratched. He is still (wisely) keeping a safe distance from our friendly but enthusiastic 2-year-old daughter.

He has gotten into the habit of using his litter box, and has established himself as dominant among the pets, which seems to be working out OK for everyone.

I will hopefully be able to send you a picture in the next week.

I can't wait for the photo! It's great to hear about Harrison having such a wonderful home after he waited so long. And see, children and rabbits can be in the same house if handled with common sense - I'm looking at you, previous owners of Chocolate and Thumper.

Now how about Domino, Harrison's lookalike? Poor Domino was adopted and returned within 7 months, so the shelter staff were rather protective of him. This sweet boy got adopted about a week ago, to what sounds like a truly lovely couple. Good news all around!

How Much Is That Bunny in the - Never Mind, I Could Just Go to a Shelter

Seriously, pet stores are so passé. Down at the shelter, we've got a much wider variety of rabbits for your animal-loving self:

First up is a sweet larger lady with no name. I loooooove her. I'm such a sucker for this type of bunny - the wild-type fur, larger build, giant ears. Totally my favourite by default. She's a little shy but just darling once she settles down.
Next up we have Emma. This pretty girl is also on the larger side, rather than a dwarf, and she has really striking markings. She's a little skittish although that could be because she's new to the shelter, but she's ok with being handled and likes to explore.
Maybe you're looking for a pair of bunnies? How about this troublesome twosome? I love this shot. George looks so alarmed. Fred and George have been at the shelter for months now and they seriously need a home that will give them lots of free-range time and love. They're such sweet, good-natured bunnies, the fact that there's two of them shouldn't scare people off!
Or maybe you're looking for something small (it seems everyone else is). Chocolate is a sweet Netherland Dwarf mix who's very gentle (with people - no other bunnies for this one!) and loves attention. He and Thumper have both been neutered and are ready to go.

What's the point of going to a pet store when we have a much better selection, and you'll be saving a life? It's win-win, really.

Hey, you should check out our Facebook Page!

Klaus

Remember Klaus, the half-blind white hamster from North? Who I so dramatically rescued at Christmas (not really)?
He's found a great new foster home that may actually be his permanent home soon. The family that adopted Boxer and Thundershock (from my first litter of foster babies) decided to take him home on a trial run, and it sounds like he's doing great:

Hi Laura,

I'll start off with Klaus - I love that name, so that's still his name but I added a middle name, Kyden. I just call him KK for short. He has his water in his cage in a dish, but it's up on a platform so his bedding doesn't fall in it. He has two beds, he slept in one for so many sleeps in a row that when he wasn't there, I thought he was lost! But no, he was just in his other bed. He seems to change his bed preference every week.

He loves sunflower seeds, just a few minutes before I started typing this message he was digging through his food bowl and he only eats the sunflower seeds. He shells them at about a mile a minute.

Now for the others - a few days ago my grandmother and I remodelled the tubing in their cage. There's not much to update except they have a new little bed shaped like a cottage.

Bye for now,

This young girl is just a great pet-owner! Klaus found a perfect family to take care of him.

In other hamster news - I have two new fosters! Yeah, I'm the hamster lady. These two are from Quebec (long story) and I have never seen hamsters this traumatized. I can't even touch them. This is going to be interesting...

Two new bunnies, large gorgeous girls, have shown up at the shelter as 'strays' (uh-huh). As well, two baby guinea pigs, only a few weeks old and the size of a hand, were surrendered.
This weekend is an adopt-a-thon at Petsmart, and I bet you anything all four guinea pigs will find homes.

Give Hope some Hope

Here's a story to tug at your heartstrings. Hope is a young, pretty orange tabby who someone found on their porch. She had a badly broken leg, and was brought to the shelter. The vet costs were going to be pretty high, so a shelter worker took her home as a foster and is raising money to get her fixed up.
The initial vet visit revealed that all of Hope's legs had been broken in the past. They'd been left to heal without any vet care, so who knows how she'll move once this leg heals - but at least this leg will be treated properly. I can't imagine how anyone could do something like that to such a sweet cat. Even with all she's been through, Hope has been a total sweetheart at her foster home. We've set up a donation box at Kennel Cafe, a great local pet store. Hopefully someone will have interest in adopting Hope once she's ready for a new family, because this little girl needs a lot of love!
Above (and below actually) is a poster I typed up for the donation box. It may be the single cheesiest thing I've ever written, but it gets the job done!
Good news - Freddie & Vera the budgies have been adopted!
Looks like 2 guinea pigs and 2 more rabbits have shown up at the shelter, though, so no slowing down!

Violet

Sadly, the little rat who came in as a 'stray' last week had to be euthanized. They suspected she was sick when she came in, and it went downhill fast. It's such a shame - Violet (as we ended up naming her) was tame and would've been a really sweet pet for somebody. She even had someone interested in her! I guess it just wasn't meant to be.
On a much better note - Sherlock (the black guinea pig) was adopted! I have no idea why someone would take her instead of our two friendly girls, but good for her. I hope she gets the attention she needs now!

Scenes from the Shelter

My goodness, the boys were being cute! They were cuddling and grooming each other and it was pretty adorable. I really, really wish someone would take them. I would hate to see them separated. They have a fancy new biography on the website - maybe that will bring in some more interest.
Heehee, I love guinea pig faces. They pose so well for photos. Paisley makes me laugh. She really is the friendliest piggie, she and Weet are so eager to come over and say hello. They're great for brightening your day.
And here's my new housemate. Living with Pepper has lead me to realize that....he's totally nuts. Adorable, gorgeous, hilarious to watch, full of energy and fun - but nuts. We're working on it.

Good lord these photos look purple. I love our cozy little small animal room, but sometimes I really, really wish the wall wasn't purple. No offense, whoever painted that wall.

Hey, time for shameless advertising! Come check out our fancy new Facebook page - we have over 50 fans! That's awesome since I have no idea what I'm doing. Apparently 50 people think it looks legit, so I must be doing something right!

The List

Because it is impossible to keep track of all the cats we get, I tend to pick a few and follow them. I call it 'The List' (yes, with capitals - it adds a sense of drama). Lately everybody on the List has been getting adopted (yay!) so I've had to fill it up again. That lovely lady above is named Cider, and isn't she gorgeous? I love her ruffled fur. She's 2 years old and was surrendered in late November.
Pirate here is my new best cat friend. She only has one eye but it definitely doesn't hold her back. She's only 5 months old and was taken into protective custody. She is just so friendly and curious about everything, you can't help but love her! I picked her up, and the minute she was in my arms she started purring. Such a sweetheart!
Ok, I usually stay away from younger kittens, but my goodness! This little boy was a foster, and is super shy. He likes being cuddled but he definitely needs lot of love from somebody. We've nicknamed him Tweed, because he has this fuzzy, thick fur that is a lot of fun to play with. I can't link to him on the website because I stupidly forgot to write down his ID number (oops), but if you are looking for a kitten and you have love to spare, take this guy. He's a darling!

In other news, Pepper the rabbit is now at my house. This is an experiment: it'll be a crash course in socialization. He'd better like people at the end of it because otherwise I don't know anybody who would want to take him home.