Locket loves watching the world go by from the catio!

It has been a great summer for adoptions at Furry Friends!  If you’ve been following my blog or Furry Friends on Facebook, you’ll know that both Bandit and Penny have been adopted and are doing great in their new forever homes.  Hooray!

Now I’d like to introduce you to Locket.  Locket is a beautiful gray and white petite girl who has worked hard to overcome the challenges that life has tossed her way in the short time she’s been alive.  Back in February 2012, Locket showed up in a crate left on a disabled woman’s doorstep.  Unfortunately, the woman was not able to care for Locket, who surrendered her to Furry Friends shortly after.  So Locket has been with Furry Friends for about two and a half years now.  Why hasn’t this beautiful girl been adopted yet?

Like I said, Locket has been working on overcoming the challenges she’s been given.  We can only guess at her circumstances prior to showing up  on a stranger’s doorstep.  We do know that she was about a year old when she came to Furry Friends (so she’s probably about 3 and a half now), and she was initially very distrustful of people.  She was very shy, very quick to defend herself.

Locket also has a playful side!

However, I never knew this version of Locket.  I started volunteering for Furry Friends in April 2014.  She was not one of the first cats I got to know, remaining in the background, just observing me as I did my chores.  I’d see her walking around the house or lounging in the catio (she LOVES watching the world go by from the catio!) but it was a while before she specifically started coming to me to investigate who I was.  She would let me give her some brief pets on her head and around her ears, slowly getting to know me over the weeks.

One day, I was in the Furry Friends kitchen and Locket hopped up onto the counter where I was.  She walked over to where I was standing.  I gave her a couple of scritches on her head, and then she did the most amazing thing ever:  Locket sat right in front of me, then put her two front paws up on my shoulder so that she was standing up against me.  I started petting her down her back, and she actually lifted up her back foot and placed it on my arm, literally climbing up so that I would hold her.  She was purring and nuzzled my chin.  I’ve NEVER had a cat do this before.  And then it happened – I fell in love with Locket.

Locket is not like this with me every time I see her, but if she knows that I have some time to spend with her, she will hop into my lap and hang out for some petting (like in the above couple of pictures…I just sat in the lounger and she bounced right up, nestling herself into my chest).  She can be such an affectionate and loving cat!  She is spayed (of course) and is ready for a forever home.  I think she would be best off being an only-cat, but I have never seen her get into kerfuffles with other cats; she largely ignores them and does her own thing. The only thing Locket truly needs, I think, is a human that she can depend upon to always be there for her.  She was first abandoned, and is now cared for by plenty of people who come and go during the week, but some consistency in her life would make her one happy cat!

Locket on her favorite lounger.

Like many cats, Locket might need some time to warm up to a new situation.  However, if you are willing to be a little patient and give Locket the space she needs to get to know you, I promise that you will be rewarded with a loving and affectionate kitty.  If you are interested in finding out more about Locket, you can ask me any question with a comment below, visit the Furry Friends website, and/or see Locket’s listing on Petfinder.com.  Or, share this post – you might have a friend who needs a furry companion like Locket.  She’s a lovely little soul and I can’t wait for her to find her forever home!

Penny has dazzling green eyes, and is looking for her forever home!

As you may know, I’ve been trying to promote adoptions for some fantastic cats that I know through Fuzzy Undertones.  I like to think of it as a kind of “cat adoption hit-list”, if you will.  Last month, I posted about my favorite tuxedoed polydactyl cat, Bandit, who is up for adoption at Furry Friends, a no-kill cat rescue organization here in Vancouver, WA.  I’m hoping that we’ve got something in the works for Bandit and one of his admirers, so keep your fingers crossed (Bandit is keeping several of his bonus-toes crossed as well).  I will keep you updated on any adoption activity with Bandit, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, this month I’d like to share with you a lovely cat by the name of Penny.  She’s about six years old (born June 2008) and lived as an indoor cat with an elderly woman for the past four years.  Unfortunately, her human companion had to go into a medical facility, and her neighbor took responsibility for Penny.  Also unfortunately, the apartment complex told the neighbor that he could not keep Penny, so she was brought to Furry Friends so that they could help her find a forever home.  And since I volunteer with Furry Friends, I thought I’d offer my assistance by sharing with you some wonderful things about Penny.

Interesting facts about Penny

• Penny is an orange tabby!  There are four orange male tabbies for every female, so this makes Penny somewhat rare and special.
• There are a lot of famous orange cats, and I’d like to make Penny Internet-famous too!  Some famous ginger cats are: Garfield, Morris the Cat, Jones from the movie “Alien”, and Orangey, who starred with Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” in 1961.  Can you think of any others?
• Penny loves to perch up on high shelves and observe the world from above, but she will come down when tempted with petting and scritches from her beloved human friends!

Penny really does love hugs and affection!

You can tell that Penny was mighty attached to her long-time human companion.  Penny is eager to receive petting and brushing, and will demand to sit in your lap for full-body pets (in fact, when I was sitting down on the floor today taking pictures of her she jumped into my lap and immediately started making muffins (aka “happy paws”) on my tummy.  I know I’m soft, but hey…).  She is quick to purr, and gets along well with the other kitties that she is currently rooming with.  She’s current on her shots, doesn’t have any special medical needs, and is ready to fit into a home with anyone who can give her lots of love and affection!  Take a look at that sweet sweet face – you can’t tell me that you wouldn’t benefit from having this lovely girl in your life!  If you are interested in finding out more about Penny, you can ask me any question with a comment below, visit the Furry Friends website, and/or see Penny’s listing on Petfinder.com.  Or, share this post – you might have a friend who needs a furry companion like Penny! ❤ ❤ ❤

Look at this beauty! (Photo by Furry Friends)

Penny also has a sense of humor 🙂

Such a pretty girl!

Penny is inquisitive and mellow.

And she demands happy paws!

This is currently Penny’s fave perch!

~~~~~~~~ Update!!! ~~~~~~~~

Penny has been adopted!  She went to her new Forever Home on September 6, and I’m sure that she is making a lovely companion for her new guardians.  If I receive any updates, I will post them here – I am so happy for Penny and her new guardians!  ❤

~~~~~~~~ Update 2!!! ~~~~~~~~

Rebecca, Penny’s new guardian, sent us a quick update.  Penny is doing great, and Rebecca reports that she is a super sweet, special kitty!  I am so happy that Penny is in a loving family with a guardian who recognizes the wonderful being that Penny is ❤

Penny, comfortable and cozy in her new home!

Bandit is looking for his forever home!

I haven’t written much about the volunteer work that I do, but since I’ve gotten to know the cats and people at Furry Friends, I’ve decided to let the cat out of the proverbial bag.  Furry Friends is a no-kill non-profit cat rescue organization in Vancouver, WA, that houses and fosters cats that need to be adopted.  I volunteer every Sunday morning, helping to clean up the “halfway house” and socializing with the cats.  Some of the cats have been at the halfway house for a long time, but they are all looking for their forever homes.  I’ve decided (and I hope with the blessing of Furry Friends) to occasionally highlight some of the current halfway house residents to help these sweet kitties find the human companions that they need and deserve.

With that, today’s lucky kitty is BANDIT!  Bandit will run away with your heart if you let him, because this little tuxedo is a charmer.  I chose to highlight Bandit because he is such a sweetie and he needs to be adopted by someone who loves to give and receive affection.  A couple of things about Bandit: first, he has been in the halfway house since March of 2014.  He is neutered, and was born in December of 2007, which makes him almost 7 years old.  He does have a limp in his front left leg caused by arthritis, for which he is taking cosequin (a joint supplement).  Here are a few PAWESOME things about Bandit:

• 

  Bandit is polydactyl and has bonus toes!

  Bandit is POLYDACTYL!  That means that he has bonus toes on all of his feet.  Ernest Hemingway had so many polydactyl cats at his house (which are still there, btw) that sometimes polydactyl cats are known as Hemingway cats.  They are also said to be good luck at sea!  You can read more about the amazingness of polydactyl cats here.

• Bandit was relinquished to Furry Friends because his former companion became ill and could no longer take care of him and his siblings.  He has always been an indoor cat.
• Bandit loves to snuggle in your lap!  He will hop up in your lap and insta-purrrrrr, and especially loves to be scritched behind the ears.
• Bandit loves to play, but really just wants a companion to give affection to, and who wants to return the attention.  He’s super mellow and snuggly!

Here are some more pictures of Bandit that I took this morning.  If you are in the Vancouver/Portland area and would like further information on meeting Bandit, please let me know, or contact Furry Friends!  They would love to hear from you, and I’m sure Bandit would just love to meet you, too!

~~~~~~~~ Update!!! ~~~~~~~~

Bandit was adopted!  On Sunday, August 24, Bandit went home with his new mom, Cynthia.  He’ll have an older feline brother, Taz, and will be very loved.  And the best part is that since Cynthia is my mother-in-law, I’ll get to see him occasionally!  Win-win-win!  Thanks, everyone, for your support and efforts to get this little guy his forever home!

Cynthia and Bandit