Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Tuesday Morning .... in Black and White

Tuesday mornings I spend 2 hours at PetSmart taking care of cats that are placed there by the SPCA as part of a joint adoption program. PetSmart gives us (ACSPCA, a no kill shelter) space that can house a number of cats and kittens. Volunteers like myself work in shifts to make sure the cats are well fed, healthy and ready for their new homes. 80 cats have been adopted out of this particular PetSmart since it opened last November and with the coming kitten season I'm sure the numbers will soar.

When I arrived this morning, there were 3 adult cats and 1 kitten meowing as I unlocked their cages in order to let them out to play while I cleaned up their living quarters.

Little Alabama, below, with huge golden eyes and a soft black coat was the first to tug at my heart strings. I always go for the little ones and if they're black that's even better. She spent some 20 minutes in my lap before she'd had enough and went back to nap in her cage.



Ashes peaked out at me, suspiscious at first, but then joined her sister Poochie in welcoming me.




They both love to be brushed and adore each other, wrestling, cuddling and cleaning the other. They are probably a year or two old and I hope will be adopted together so that they can continue to spend the rest of their lives in each other's company.

Thumper, an adult, neutered male wouldn't be photographed but spent almost half an hour just sitting and purring in my lap. He has medium length black fur and is a real sweetheart. I have a feeling he won't be there for long, but I can say that about all of the cats that are there.

We lost our beautiful Hannah, just before Christmas, and I was planning on giving our household a break from cats for a while, but then I decided to get my "kitty time" by doing volunteer work for the local SPCA. I started in January and after 2 weeks, couldn't help myself and brought home 2 cats which I'll tell you about another time.

1 comment:

jzr said...

Lisa, The life cycle continues and it is so sad when our animals age. They can't speak their pain and we're so often left guessing about what to do. I think a trip to the vet will be a good thing.