Not So Wild Cats in the Neighborhood

At the cats-only boarding facility, we keep an eye out for abandoned or feral cats. Leftover food from the guests is set out twice a day for our “regulars”. We even do our best to catch, spay or neuter, and find homes for the feral cats who hang out behind the building. But those aren’t the only abandoned kitties I deal with. There’s a sizable abandoned cat population at the apartment complex where I live. There are two in particular who live and hang out right by my door: a pair of mostly black kitties. One is extremely friendly; the … Continue reading

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Abandoned!

I was just thinking the other day how I hadn’t had any blog-worthy adventures at work lately. Today I had one! When we showed up for work this morning, I saw a sight I’d been dreading for the past year and more: a cardboard box and a bag of food with a note attached. Inside the box? A pair of cats who had been abandoned at the vet’s office. The box was blocking the door, so I nudged it out of the way in order to get the door open. But when I went to pick the box up, it … Continue reading

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Why Am I Working Here, Anyway?

I was chatting with a client at the cats-only boarding facility, and mentioned (as I often do) my two dogs, Moose and Lally. The client asked if I had any cats, and I said that I didn’t. She then asked me why I was working at a cat place if I didn’t have any cats. My usual answer is this: “So I won’t be tempted to bring any of them home!” And that is part of the reason. We’ve had abandoned kitties staying at the boarding facility before. While I did become somewhat attached to them, I knew I couldn’t … Continue reading

The Pets Blog Week in Review for January 14-20

Aimee and I once again strove to bring you a slew of interesting, thought provoking, and otherwise entertaining articles last week. In case you missed any days, here’s the recap of what we wrote on: Monday, January 14 Would You Make a Good Parent for a Deaf Pet? It’s hard enough being a stray in a shelter, but imagine being a deaf one. The chances for adoption go even lower. My plea was to consider adopting such a pet to give them a fair chance too. Tuesday, January 15 Shelters are Bad Enough, Deplorable in Tennessee For some reason the … Continue reading

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Apparently I Need Grooming

After my shift at the cats only boarding facility this morning, I decided I was going to spend some time with three of our resident cats. They’re generally happy to see anybody who comes in to clean or fill food and water bowls, but today, they seemed especially lonely. It was the pitiful meows and the weaving between my legs that was my first clue. So once the morning’s work was done, I went and sat down with them for a while. A quick description of each: Ru: a lovely dark grey tortie cat with amazingly dark green eyes. The … Continue reading

What You Can Do for Animal Shelters

Early in my time as Pets blogger at families.com I listed a variety of volunteering options available to those who love animals but for whatever reason aren’t able to own them. The possibilities I provided all involved volunteering with animal shelters or rescues, but I limited my suggestions to those with high levels of animal interaction. However, if you just want to share your passion for pets with those pets that don’t have any homes, shelters/rescues have several volunteering opportunities that extend beyond what I mentioned before. Specific needs obviously depend upon the particular shelter or rescue in question, but … Continue reading