Success Stories
Gracie
Funny you asked about pictures 'cuz I just took some to send to my mom & dad. I've attached a couple for you to look at. Gracie is not actually named Gracie anymore. It took me days to figure out what her name should be, and I've settled on "Nimue" (pronounced "Nim-way"). Some background on that: In the Arthurian tales of yore, the sorcerer Merlin's lady-love was named Nimue. In the movie "Merlin," she was played by Isabella Rosselini, so she was quite a stunning character.
So, my kitty is now known as "Baby Nimue". Ha ha!
Summer
Granite
I'm thrilled to announce that Granite has a loving, forever home. He has been away on a sleepover. It took him a little while to adjust to a home environment, but he is doing well. As some of you might recall, Granite had a tough time adjusting to life at the shelter. I spent a lot of time working with him to make him feel safe and loved. He is a completely different cat than when he first arrived. If he had gone to any other shelter, he would have been euthanized. Not only because he was terrified and acting out, but because he is a special needs cat with feline AIDS. He has been very healthy with us, and there is no reason why he can't live a long and healthy life. If you would like to learn more about feline AIDS, I have some good articles I can share with you. Just let me know. Granite has a kitty sibling named Merlin who was rescued off the streets in Austin.
Janet
Miss Molly (formerly Merci)
Molly has been a delight. She is very playful and extremely affectionate. She likes to sit on my chest with her face close to my ear, while she purrs contentedly. She loves to sit by the computer and to walk on the keyboard if no one is watching. We have finally convinced her that humans need to sleep at night, so she has given up pouncing on us and biting us in the middle of the night; she does like sleeping with us either between us or on my pillow.
She has learned to tolerate her dog sibling, Jack, and likes to pretend she is going to pounce on him when he's not looking. Her cat sibling, Sugar, has learned to control Molly's behaviour by swatting her when she gets too rambunctious. I think Molly has been good for Sugar, as she gets Sugar to expend a little energy playing with her.
We are so glad to have adopted Molly; she has been a great addition to our menagerie.
Yuma
I just wanted to give you an update on Yuma. He is doing great. His high decibel purring and forever flagged meerkat tail reinforce that he is a one happy and healthy cat.
He is most definitely a one man cat and he is with me all the time. I don't think a dog has ever bonded to me like that. I got him a cat tree thinking he could lounge and hang out, but that has been relegated to eating, as we wanted his food away from my sister's dog. Mom does enjoy petting him and Dad smiles and laughs at his antics.
He has been a great success story and valued family addition. We want to thank you for allowing Yuma to come into our lives. I have included a couple of pictures.
Thanks again--Richard
Tiara (now Angie)
Tiara (Angie) is wonderful! I'm attaching some pics. She is Daddy's little girl and she gets along so well with the other cats. She even has one of our older cats playing and running around with her now, which is great exercise. Angie really is a sweetheart and we couldn't be more grateful to you guys. Thank you.
Tiger
Tiger is doing really well. He's almost completely over his skittishness and being very snuggly. He and Taylor (my other cat) seem to be getting more and more comfortable. He lets her groom him sometimes, and I catch them lying near each other more and more. He's definitely a sweetie, and it's getting hard to imagine life without him.
Ann
Ambrosia (now Zea)
Here are some pictures of Zea. She has settled into my apartment and has started to explore every inch of it.
-Khushboo
Rascal
We are so happy that we found Rascal and that he has accepted us. We wouldn't trade him for anything.
Thank you so much,
Jeffrey
Mr. Peabody aka Stanley
He and my daughter are great buds already. He has taken to sleeping with her almost every night now.
Thought you might enjoy seeing how well he's adjusting to his new home.
Also a pic of Hooley and Tatum relaxing at home. They each have a pillow on the side of the bed.. one on my side, one on my husbands. Most of the time they are curled up together on the same pillow. Makes me so so happy I to see that and so happy we came back and adopted him. They are both just wonderful dogs.
Thanks for ALL you ladies do...
Trish
Taylor (Zucchini)
We've changed her name to Zucchini, or Zucci for short. She's doing
very well, lots of love and snuggles. She's calmed down a bit from
the need to be right in your face all the time, to being content to
snuggle on your lap or curl up by your feet. The soft paws have been
wonderful, as she still has times when only your shoulder will do.
For some reason she *loves* to sleep in my bathroom sink. She curls
up there to watch me get ready in the morning, and I've found her
there curled up and sleeping other times too. She has not been
enjoying her earmite treatment at all, it's made her a bit grumpy, but
only a few more days and the mites will be behind her. She's
currently curled up in a beam of sunlight with a grin on her face.
Thank you again for taking such good care of her at the shelter, and
going through all the trouble to make sure that we were the right home
for her.
Thanks!
Fritter
Fritter just loves our 10-year-old cat Domino. They wrestle and play and groom each other.
Fritter is still playing fetch with large hair-bands. Don't try to ignore
his request to throw them across the room or he will give you a "love
bite."
We love him sooooooooooo much.
Marlow
Marlow is doing very good, but he's still pretty cautious of new objects and strange noises. The refrigerator is particularly worthy of distrust. Not only does it house the icemaker but, without warning, it produces an awful hum and blows air at his feet! And it also contains ... the ear drops.
The fifth drop is always the hardest (Marlow enters stage left, headbutts hand holding medicine, Marlow exits stage right) though relative to other animals I've had to medicate (mice!) it's pretty easy. Even though he doesn't like the drops, he stays close in case maybe you've changed your mind and just want to pet him instead.... so you can trick him. "Ha! I pet you until you laid down and now I have easy ear access!"
He has a teeny little meow and LOVES belly rubs more than any other cat I've pet. He'll lay on his back and make biscuits in the air. He's actually quite an accomplished baker, making biscuits on linoleum, desks, keyboards, and sometimes on the carpet .. as he's walking (haha).
Jermaine
I snapped a few pictures of Jermaine (n/k/a Yuri) in his new home with his family. He is a very special guy. Very loving and sweet.
He is doing well and seems very content to be with us. He sleeps like
this a lot. To each his own. Makes my neck ache just to look at him.
His favorite in the "family" is his dog-sister, Miela. Followed by his cat-brother, Tito. Tito loves being outside on the leash. (See Tito
under the fig tree) Yuri on the other hand doesn't really enjoy going
outside on the leash. They are each so different! Yuri is very
respectful of the grand (cat) dame of the house, Mz. Cozette. He and
dog-brother Jack seem to be settling is as well although I don't think
these two will ever be bosom buddies.
Kate
BlackJack
So far everything is going very well. After the initial adjustment period
he and our cat Julie have gotten along pretty well. I've attached some
pictures of BlackJack (and some of the two of them) to show he's as happy
here as we are to have him here. He's right at home and has become part
of
the family.
He got his 2nd set of shots a month after we brought him home (I keep
meaning to send you the bottle label for your records) and he's been very
healthy.
BlackJack is the perfect cat in every way.
If you would like any more details we'd be glad to provide.
Thank you so much for bringing us together.
Sincerely,
Heather and Philip
Magic
I first saw Magic on the online pages a few months after my previous cat
had died, but wasn't ready for another cat yet. When I went back to check
a few months later, he was still avaiable, which surprised me since he is
quite a looker (at least half Maine Coon: perhaps partly tabby).
When I came out to one the adoption fairs, I was told that he had been a
feral, and was quite timid around the other cats (who would immediately
demand affection). After a while he might come over and say hi; in
general
he did not compete with the other cats and did not eat much. In the
opinion of whoever was at the fair, he would be a "bed cat" (or what I
call "living sculpture" or "beautiful decorative object" -- i.e. "I'm
here to be admired but not touched".) I figured I would try a cat that
wasn't quite as "welded" to me as the old one had been (didn't want to
force him to be a carbon copy). He seemed a little confused when I held
him, but didn't resist or anything. So, he and I packed up and headed
home.
He howled the whole way (apparently he thought the only humans that had
ever treated him kindly were now gone).
That was Saturday. By the next Friday night I was at my wit's end. I
actually had pulled the cat carrier out with the plan to take him back
the next day.
He spent those entire days hiding under the couch and hissing. I had
to put the food under the couch before he would eat it. (He would come
out to use the litterbox when he thought I wasn't looking). At one point
I picked the couch up to try to encourage him to move; he freaked and
found a place in the kitchen about 2" tall to hide (this is a ~14 lb. cat;
it took 2 hours to figure out where he was.) Then he went back and hid
under the couch and hissed. I had spent the entire time talking to him
but he just wasn't having it.
Finally on Friday night I put the food bowl _next_ to the couch, shook
it, and told him he would have to come show himself if he wanted to eat.
Imagine my surprise when he emerged and started purring! (and ate, of
course; he _is_ a cat.)
Within the next 2 weeks the personality began to emerge. Maine Coons
are curious and want to be around whatever's happening. Soon he was
following me around the house just to watch. (At this time I could pick
him up, pet him for a few seconds, then put him back down; he wasn't
ready for anything more than that).
About a month later he finally started camping out on me when I was on
the couch using the laptop. (He is much more comfortable being a "chest
cat" than a "lap cat"; he's either wierd, or it's just a size problem).
Now, of course, he runs the household. Keeping the weight down is a
problem; he's a total chow hound.
Here's some pictures. The first are from 2004 (only a few months after
he had been around), the other is from last year:
mcl
Tea
he's quite a character. Very loving and affectionate, but demanding. Every morning she wants her food bowl checked and if you pass it by, she will grab your leg with her claws. We love her and she's doing great!
Julie
Ghirard
Here is the photo of Ghirard I promised. He loves pillows and blankets.
It's the weirdest thing. None of our other cats will sleep this way.
They may sleep under a blanket from time to time. But Ghirard actually
seems to really enjoy sleeping like a person. We love him!!! He's a
doll. I wish we could take Jacque as well... :-(
I'm also attaching a picture of the stray and the feral we took with us
from our apartment. It cracks me up. I don't know what camera setting
David used when he took the shot--but they look like alien kitties. The
one with the crazy green eyes is "Jack"--the stray. The black cat is
"Hidey"--the feral.
I just thought this photo
was cute. (You can see part of Jack behind him snoozing on the
unmade mattress/bed.
-Tracie
Classy
Here's an update on Classy, who is now Autumn. She's doing great.
Angie
We have named Tiari Angelina, "Angie" for short, and she is so
wonderful! She has completely fallen in love with my husband, Craig,
and he with her. She sleeps on top of him at night and follows him
around all day. She is quite the diplomat and gets along famously with
our other kitties--no small feat in this house! She just has a very
sweet way about her and she sidles up to the others and gets them to
play without ever appearing aggressive or challenging. I just marvel at
how she has managed to adjust into our multi-cat household so
seamlessly.
She is growing into her long, long legs and seems very happy and
extremely healthy. Angie is just a darling kitty and we are so happy to
have her in our home. She has been eating like crazy--and luckily we
don't think she has been exposed to any of the contaminated brands of
food. We are closely watching the posted warnings to keep all of our
kitties safe. I am so, so sorry for the loss and illness of some of the
babies at the shelter.
Craig can send you more photos, but here is one of Angie's beautiful
bright eyes. She is a very special girl and we are thrilled to have her
in our home.
Thank you so much for all you do!
Warmest wishes,
Gail
Rhapsody
Rhapsody is doing wonderful... She had a hard
adjustment, but after that she and our other Cornish
Rex Noah have become wonderful friends... She has
learned to trust and love. She is a great addition to
our family. We do have many pictures, but I have
attached some funny ones... She LOVES paper sacks...
Smiles,
Steph and Eric
Dusty
Dusty is the love of my life. He is the happiest little camper on
earth. He harrasses the other cats, runs around the house all the time
until he's tired, and is so playful all the time. He loves the backyard
and hiding in the bushes. Here are some up to date pics of him.
Julie
Kaito (Formerly Chip)
Hi Everyone,
Here are a couple updated pictures of Kaito (was Chip with us). We included a baby picture as well, so you can see how much he's grown. Shannon, one of our techno-wizards, adopted him in January 2007. Kaito is still growing, so he's definitely going to be a big boy!
Janet
Milo
Hi Janet:
Thought I'd share a funny picture of Milo as he's relaxing in his bed on top of the desk while I study.
Danielle
Chip (aka Kai)
Chip (aka Kai) is doing very well. He adjusted very quickly to his new home. Our older cat also adjusted well to his new friend. Thanks.
Sweetie
Sweetie is still our sweetie. She is also the Queen of the house even over the dog... Thank you so much!
Socks
Socks has acclimated quickly to the household and loves running and playing with Harley, when he's not sitting in the front window watching the birds outside in the bird bath or at the feeder. He is a very sweet and loving boy who loves to sleep with me at night - which I found very interesting considering he's spent his whole life up until now at Lago Vista. I Socks? Is that you? Have you seen my glasses?wouldn't have thought he would willingly choose to sleep with humans, but after about the third night he started jumping on the bed when I got in it, and Oh how I love Pilates!would quickly duck under the covers all the way to the foot of the bed, and then move up until he's laying on my pillow above my head. Everyone says it's like he's been my house since he was a kitten, and it is. Thank you to everyone at the facility for doing such a wonderful job of socializing
Lance (formerly Jackie) and Vince (formerly
Thanks to you and your colleages for running the shelter. Thought you'd enjoy some pictures of Lance (formerly Jackie) and Vince (formerly Tito). These are about a month old. I weighed the boys yesterday and they are both putting weight on well now. I need to take some new pictures. I'll try to remember to send one or two on. They both don't fit in the perch anymore!
Dudley (formerly known as Earl Grey)
Dudley has become a delightful addition to our family. He and Chuck, our West Highland White Terrier, are true brothers, wrestling with each other daily, sleeping together at night, trying to steal each other's food and eternally jealous of any attention "Mom" and "Dad" pay to either of them.
Dudley has grown from a tiny, feisty kitten with whispy gray hair and a very long tail, with worms and a "racing stripe" squarely down the middle of his head (a bald spot caused, the vet said, by stress) into a gorgeous, large (growing daily), luxuriously long-haired 8-month-old who's going to be probably 15 pounds or more at full growth. He still has his sharp little baby teeth and a tiny, squeeky kitten meow.
Dudley loves to be held and will stand up on his back legs and reach his arms up to be picked up, and then he'll push his nose up to be kissed. Every morning he and his "Dad" read the paper together, because of course Dudley loves to bury himself in the newspaper. He has quite an extensive vocabulary and learns very quickly.
Bill and I have owned many cats over the years, and we agree that Dudley is one of the most delightful and affectionate cats we've ever had.
Thanks,
Eden
Brazil
Brazil is doing great. He adjusted very quickly and I believe he loves his new home!! He is very laid back and loves to sleep at the end of our bed every night. He tolerates our two children very well, which is great. We love him very much! Thanks. Valerie.
Chester & Frosting (AKA Toby)
Frosting and Chester are both doing fantastic - love chasing each other around the house, playing and are very affectionate toward each other and me. Absolutely no
complaints from me, or them. I actually re-named Frosting, "Toby." It seemed to suit him better once his personality started to come out. And Chester is still a sweetheart, wanting to be picked up so he can nuzzle all the time. He is also incredibly tolerant and wonderful with children, and has become one of my 3 year old nieces' best friends. I love them both and could not be happier to have adopted them.
Verbena
Verbena is the queen!!! She truly has adjusted so well. We can't believe that we got so blessed to get a cat that is so good for us and everybody that comes in. She is so social and loves everybody! We are proud to tell people that she we got her at Lago Vista PAWS. We keep her indoors all the time and the worst she has ever done is hyper-ventilate a bit while watching the birds and squirrels outside! Her left eye was watering a bit when we got her and it has gotten worse several times. Our vet says it is a tear duct problem and he has prescribed drops that help clear it up and then it comes back. She is so good about letting me put the drops in her eye. We are just love her and she loves us!!
Bailey
Here are some pictures of our beloved Bailey! (Formerly known as Klaus.) He is the absolute joy of our lives! My husband and I never thought that after we lost our 17 year old cat Elliot that we could adore another cat so much! Bailey is so happy and so loved! He sleeps with us. He helps me at my desk while I'm taking care of my real estate business. He is so affectionate and a real snuggler! He loves to sit in our laps or cuddle up in a chair or on the sofa with us! And he does give lots of kisses! Even as I am typing this, he is in my lap helping me! He was about a year and a half old when we adopted him last August and my husband and I both wonder how everyone missed such an angel! But we are glad that they did! Thank you for allowing us to give him a forever home with us! Debbie and Daniel
Apache
As you can see in the pictures, Apache loves his Daddy. HeApache running on his ranch also loves the Beggin' Strips that I have in my hand! In the first picture, he had been visiting the cows and then ran up when I came outside. He is waiting on me the first thing every morning and takes every step I take until I go into the house at night. He is a very smart dog and brings me much joy.
Jordan
Happy New Year!
Hope you have a wonderful new year. Thought you might like an update on Jordan--the little black and white kitty we adopted from you. Of course, she's as cute as ever. She plays often with our other cat, Holly, and they share the bed with us every night. In October, Jordan had her teeth cleaned at the vet. Though she was quite groggy afterwards, she came through with flying colors. We found a wonderful vet clinic at the Cat Hospital of Central Texas. They treat both our cats like royalty and it's only a short drive from our house. Jordan has become our "snuggle cat," jumping into our laps and purring loudly when we least expect her to. She likes to jump in my husband's lap in the mornings when he is putting on his shoes. She likes to jump on my desk and nuzzle my pen whenever I try to pay bills and she still loves to chase yarn all over the house. I wake up most mornings to find Jordan sleeping contentedly in the crook of my arm. What a delightful way to start the day! Thanks again for taking such good care of her. I know that she wouldn't be such a friendly kitty if she hadn't been in your loving care.
Sincerely,
Tiffany (Jordan's forever family)
Thunder (Formerly Ulysses)
Trista writes:
Hello, I adopted Ulysses now goes by Thunder in February 2005. He is gray and white and a very much playful, full of energy, full of love and cuddles and the best thing is he loves to give kisses. I wish I had a photo to send to you. He loves his 2 baskets that he has in the house, he is such a spoiled cat and a very much loved cat, I just want to thank you for allowing me to adopted such a wonderful and loving cat.
Atticus (formerly Jo Jo)
Hi, Things have been going great with Atticus (formerly Jo Jo). His outgoing personality is a perfect compliment to our existing cat's rather aloof nature. They didn't take long to hit it off and are now best of friends. I've attached a family picture. The cats get along with the dog remarkably well. They've figured out how he likes to play, so when they're in the mood to burn off some energy, they'll go taunt him into chasing them around. It's really cute. ~Adam and Kat
Hugs
Well the whole family is crazy about Hugs. She has tested the various couches but found one particular pillow to be the softest and has made it her place as long as you stay in the room with her. She follows me or the kids from one room to the next, never likes to be alone. We LOVE THAT! We wanted an affectionate cat and you couldn't ask for a better cat than Hugs. She will sit in your lap for hours, in fact we had to go rent more movies just so someone could sit and hold Hugs. The shelties stay a respectable distance from Hugs and she doesn't seem to care about them one Hugsway or the other. Using their water bowl as well as her own with no fear. Over the years I have spent a fortune on animals, whether it be purebreds, trainers, and of course vet bills but no pet has brought such instant happiness and warmth with so little effort as Hugs. Thank you for giving this little girl a second chance, she has most definitely found her forever home.
With warm regards,
Martzie
