Ramona, Big Game Hunter

"If I aim for that silly little head I can take this one down. Yeah"

It's been a while since I've posted but things have been busy. Just a few days and the valley has bolted into spring and for all the residents the long winter is just a memory. The trees are getting ready to burst into bloom and you can see a faint fuzz of green and red across the valley. The cats are out in the yard all day long and collapsing after dinner.

"It's so wonderful, isn't it? Just wonderful." They tell us.

Harper is trying to dig up moles from their holes scattered across the lawn. Frogs appeared, frozen and still under the snow. Now the frog pond is bustling with chatter. I would follow the cats and each time they found a shocked frog I would rescue it and put it in the water and watch as it swam away.

"Long winter!" the frogs are saying. "Omagod, it's spring at last! Have you seen Fred, Tom, Ethel, Betty?" Oh there you are! Is there anything to eat?"

And on and on. The symphony develops as spring advances until we have a full orchestra of bass, mid section and trillers (tree frogs). It is one of the huge joys of the season.

My mom was here for a week and we had a lovely time shopping and cooking. Then I got a horrible bout of either food poisoning or flu and was laid low (real low) for a week. Now all is well and I have been working in the garden, planting peas.

We have a Boy Cat Only clinic this week. 30 Boy Cats taking the pledge for No More Homeless Kittens. And before that, an auction that raised lots of money for the new clinic.

So what do you think? Can Ramona take down a turkey>

Pas de Deux

It's not always harmony around here. Remember, they both have to go to the vet when one has to go to avoid the snafu of the visit when Harper did not recognize her smell. But in general, I would say always try to adopt two littermates for a happy family.

I'd love to be able to adopt a mom and her kittens and keep them all together. I don't think we have any idea how they feel when the kittens are suddenly taken away.

Mom Cat

This is Sally, a very very thin MomCat who was rescued from a hoarder and brought to the shelter. She is a lovely, world weary ladycat whose attitude is somewhat like"another litter of kittens? No problem." This will be her last litter though and hopefully, she will go on to a good life with someone who will love her. She has the most amazing eyes.







There are five kittens and I need to go back and get better photos of them. They are Basil, Clover, Ginger, Juniper and Mulberry. Tigers and Butlers.

Abby Goes Home

You may remember sad Abby. She arrived at the shelter last July after her beloved person died. She was depressed and confused, not understanding what had happened. She also unfortunately couldn't stand the company of other cats, which stopped her family from offering her a home.

So she languished and I was sorry to see her each time I went in, knowing she needed a special human.

Well, even in this crazy often unhappy world, good things do happen.

One day a man came in to the shelter. He didn't have a cat. He didn't have a dog.

He was allowed to open Abby's cage (the same one she had been sitting in since July, a small two roomer) and he stuck his whole head in there. The shelter staff thought "this won't last long". Abby has a strong sense of her personal space.

But minutes later he was still there and something wonderful happened.

They bonded.

And Abby went home.

In other good adoption news, Clyde and Maia went home for the second time. Clyde had demostrated his confusion at his first adoption attempt (after this pair had lost their person), by peeing on the human bed.

Not a good idea, Clyde.



This second attempt seems to have worked out so either Clyde learned his lesson or he liked this home better.



The very personable Solar has also found a home after only being at the shelter since January.

In sadder news a lovely cat named Angel was returned after one and a half years with an adopter. It was said that she did not get along with the other cats. I don't know what I would do in a situation like that, however I would try to provide more cat spaces (high cat tree spots and special bedroom hiding spots) I would also separate feeding and provide separate litter boxes. If it was really impossible then one cat would become the studio cat. I will be posting Angel's photo on Petfinder in the next couple of days. There was another cat returned and I will find her photo too.

I visited with Kylie who is our beautiful Mom cat. She has one kitten left who will be picked up soon. I really feel for this sweet feline who was rescued from a hoarder. She is very shy and afraid of being touched. It will take some time for a person to make friends with her but I think this is one who would be a very special companion for the person willing to be kind and take the time to let her feel secure. She has beautiful soulfull eyes which show there is a conscious being there.

I wish I could take Kylie home but I will have to hope for the right person who will be blessed with this girl.



There is also a family of new Babycats and Mom. I will post their photos too.