Heh, I was just watching some TV item about a dame that sleeps with her pet Cheetahs. She has them lick her face and says it's good for the skin.

Oh LisB

You truly rawk, and so do Willie and Wallace!!!!!

=D

Ahhh LisB. The poetry of life. Sweet story of love and companionship.

If you want a friend, I guess you can get a cat--or two!!

Wonderful piece, Lis. When I lived in Indonesia, I volunteered at the zoo and helped take care of two baby tigers. We would have playfights and they'd grab hold of my hand or foot and look me in the eye to check whether they were biting down too hard. A strange kind of empathy. Smart, sweet, and sensitive little things with these huge paws. Had to be more careful when they got bigger though...

Don't know what that has to do with anything. Nice tribute to shelter animals - my best friend has a little traumatized shelter mutt (picked him up when he was three), the endearing little bastard snaps at my ankles every other time I come over, but still love him.

Very nice, LisB. Biggy and Yoda, our two cats, are not of this planet, but if they were they'd be shelter cats.

They salute you and honor your humanity. So do I.

LisB,

They couldn't have gotten a better home and 'parent' I'm sure.

Will you post their pic sometime?

Great post and reminds us all there really are places where we can easily find a 'best friend' (or two)! It's a win/win!

Appreciate.

I'm a huge animal lover, but I lean more towards dogs than cats. Having said that, when we lived in the mountains there was a sign in the woods that said "for a free meal..." with an arrow pointing towards our house, and we took in a BUNCH of strays. Nine was the most we ever had at once. We'd feed 'em, get 'em fixed, and if they stayed, we kept feeding them. My favorites were the ones that acted more like dogs...Petey (who looks a lot like Willie)was my all time fave. He got indoor privileges, he was so sweet. Back in those days, once I settled in for the night I would lay on the couch and watch a little t.v. and he'd come and plop on top of me, balancing precariously on my side and hip...purring away. As it turned out, he was sick when we got him and he died within a year. What an incredible blessing it was that he chose to live the last months of his life with us.

Thanks for a wonderful post Lis, and sparking some incredible memories for me.

LisB:
I've been to the shelter you mention -- going along last year when a friend adopted MoJo (a magnificent Maine coon cat, also an adult who had been overlooked.) It is the best shelter I've ever seen.
I'd like to add that I hope people will be particularly mindful about the fate of animals after a hurricane, flood or other natural disaster. It never ceases to confound and distress me that many people leave their animals behind when they evacuate and do not, or cannot necessarily reclaim them. It is heartbreaking to see mature cats and dogs jammed into cages and kennels, languishing -- though,sadly, not for long. Their numbers in that situation override the opportunity to give their best chance; most shelters do not have a no-kill policy, so unless they are adopted quickly....well.
Best regards to you and your lucky boyz from my shelter cats Tess, Hermione and Harry. Ta.

Da Boyz probably don't know how lucky they are, LisB. You are lucky as well.

For nine years, our cat, Mr.Smith, patrolled the perimeter of the yard, marking his 'territory', scrambling up trees, and swatting at bumblebees with his his huge six toed front paws. He was content in his own kingdom. Last week, his realm was invaded by a neighbor's dog that had escaped from a kennel pen located inside another penned in area. Even doubly restrained, the doberman got out, headed directly to our place and disassembled Mr. Smith. It was horrible, hearing the whole attack from inside the house and not being able to get outside fast enough to help him. He was dead in a blinding few seconds. I'm still in shock, I think...it's gonna take a while to get over and I apologize for the downer.

Going to an animal shelter for a new friend(s) is rewarding in so many ways. It's not just that you get a puppy/dog or a kitten/cat...that's enough on it's own. You also get the satisfaction of knowing you helped decrease the unwanted pet epidemic by giving a wee beastie a caring home.

The shelter here gives a rebate on the adoption fees if you show them proof that you have had your new pet fixed. There are three vets in the area that will spay or neuter your pets at a deeply discounted price....$70 or less, depending on sex.

It looks like shelters are bending over backwards to find homes for the unwanted. That's why I'm always donating to shelters.

Migwetch for this post, LisB. Caring. It's not that much to ask for, is it? :o)

My kitties were brother and sister; Buddha (the boy) just suddenly got sick and I took him to the vet. He was there for 5 minutes and the vet came out and told me he had died! I wish I had kept him with me or gone in with him -- I have his ashes too -- he was so sweet; I could literally wear him like a scarf. His sister, Delta is sweet too but like your one guy, doesn't like to sit in my lap or be held. Sleeps with me, and scootches up so she stays in contact. I got them both from a "cat lady" who doesn't take care of her cats and they just reproduce like rabbits. I take her bags of cat food when I go to the town she lives in. The only reason I took the male cat (I only wanted one) was that he had green stuff coming out of his eye and I knew he wouldn't get any treatment unless I took him.

Skarlett, my sweet rescue dog, was 1 year-old, pathetic, frightened, and peed whenever you looked at her too hard when I got her, (which was 3 days before I had major surgery). She had that name when I got her and so didn't rename her, but if I were going to give her a name today it would be "Velcro," because she sticks to me like that. She has beautiful eyes, and loves everyone.

My only problem in limiting yourself to a "no Kill" place, is that you might actually be saving an animal if you get one from other types of shelters. Often they just don't have the resources to keep animals that don't get adopted. The reason Skarlett came home when she did, which was very inconvenient to say the least, is that her number was up.

I guess I would just say that animals have so much to give, and ask for so little; they make our lives fuller, no matter where they come from.

Da Boyz must really be terrific, Lis.

I inherited two one year old cats from an ex-girlfriend and had them for 16 years. Changed my life for the better.

As have other animals that have come into my life.

Good to hear your story.

My son just adopted a cat. He has a talent for picking eccentric kitties with lots of personality. This one plays fetch, which I've never heard of before - a cat retrieving a ball, my stars. That's a doggie trick.

The last kitties I had were sisters - two calicos someone was giving away in front of the grocery store. They were from the same litter, but one was bigger (and braver) than the other so we named them Minnie and Maxie. Maxie, the brave one, was my favorite, but she disappeared one day and never returned. Minnie was with me for 16 years and I cried and cried the day she died.

Thank you for a moving blog, LisB. One that brought back memories for me, too.

I'll always remember the day, 20 or so years ago, when I stopped by my parent's house for lunch, and my mum told me about some friends of theirs who had adopted a golden retriever that would have been put down had they not. The couple couldn't keep him though, as the husband was a paraplegic, and the dog was untrained. I had a golden all ready, but decided to stop by their home on my way out of town. On the drive to their place, I kept reminding myself that I was only going to look, and I should discuss it with my wife before I make any decision. Well, I pulled in their driveway, and 20 seconds later this big beautiful galoot of a hound is out in the yard racing around as I find myself saying to his 'owners', "Well... If you really don't want to keep him..." Drove home with him that day and surprised my wife with the new member of the family. Man I loved that dog. Superb hound in every respects. Truth be told I love all dogs. Good post lis.