Ask not what your shelter can do for you...

Athena and I are shelter cats. (Hera had a foster Mom who probably spoiled her - which would explain a lot.) When I was in the shelter they euthanized pets no one wanted. I was almost one of them myself - I had one week left. But then my favorite human in the world saved me! Luckily the animals at my shelter no longer have to worry about that. It is now a no-kill shelter. The animals in Athena's old shelter are not so lucky. They euthanize A LOT of animals every year.

If you want a cat or a dog - try a shelter or foster/rescue organization!

Shelters and foster/rescue organizations aren't around to make money. They are there to get animals off the streets and - hopefully - into new forever homes. Just like Hera, Athena, and me. Because they don't have a lot of money, there are ways humans can help.

Volunteer 

 Volunteering is great because it is free! All it costs is your time. You can do it once with a group as part of a special activity (like "Clean the Shelter Day") or as often as you want. Many shelters take humans as young as 16 years old to be volunteers.

Show off what you know

Shelters always need talented people. So if you don't want to volunteer to walk dogs and clean cages, volunteer your skills. (Humans always have skills.) Take photos, do some bookkeeping, build a dog cage, or redo a webpage. Shelters need all sorts of different types of help.

Take one of us home with you

You can sign up to be a foster parent and take an animal home with you until it is adopted. Just remember - you have to give it back! If you don't it is called a "foster failure." But in this case a failure is a good thing! Foster parents help keep shelters from getting too crowded.

Donate

Let's face it, cats aren't very good about going out and getting jobs. But even though we can't eat it, we cats know money is important. And shelters need a lot of it. Cats need food, help if we get sick, a roof over our heads, and TV and video games. OK, we don't care about TV or video games (except Athena) but we do need those other things! Even just a few dollars can really help. 

Hold a Fundraiser

Your cat clogged the toilet with his catnip mouse and your dryer exploded. Now you are short on money to donate. No problem!  Have an event that helps raise money for a shelter. You can do this through your school, work, or organization. Animal Sheltering has pages and pages of great fundraising ideas.

Make a blanket

Cage bottoms are really hard. Blankets make things cozy. Case closed. If you can knit you can use one of the many blanket patterns from The Snuggles Project. Or try something easier like this No-Sew Fleece Throw.

Give them your old stuff

Many shelters have wish lists. And because we cats don't care if stuff is new, you may find things your local shelter needs just lying around your house gathering dust. Such as sheets, blankets, newspapers, towels and old pet items you no longer need.

Buy them new stuff

Go shopping! Humans like that kind of thing, right? The next time you are at the store pick up some cat food, or cat litter, or a TV and Xbox for the furry guys at your local shelter. (OK, again, maybe not a TV and Xbox.)

Adopt! 

Adopting a pet is serious business. We pets like sticking around as long as possible. If you have room and love and money to pay for food and medical bills, check out your local shelter. But don't do it without putting a lot of thought into it first!

I want to help, but I don't even know if we have a shelter

Chances are, you have a shelter somewhere nearby. Here are three great links to help you find one:

Adopt a Pet

The Shelter Pet Project

Petfinder

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Knit for Your Kitties!

Fall is finally here and the weather is getting cooler. We kitties live in Florida where it is pretty warm all year long, but a lot of kitties live where it can be really cold. If you are one of those kitties, get your people to knit you things! No one in this house knits, but maybe you are a lucky kitty that lives in a knitting house. Yarn balls and sweaters and stuff!

Cold kitties need knitted hoodies! Humans can learn to make one at Ravelry. 

Make your cat look like that 11th Doctor humans are always going on about with this Fez from Spindles and Spices.

Another sweater to keep kitties toasty warm from ChristineLandry.

I would probably try to eat this if it was on my head, but I am sure humans think it is cute. If you are one of those humans, you can get the pattern at Craftsy.

These knitted catnip bunnies from All Free Knitting are sooooo cute! 

I could have so much fun with this knitted cat tunnel from Knitting Novice.

I came from a shelter so I know how hard those cage bottoms are! The Snuggles Project has lots of great blanket knitting projects to make cage bottoms cozier.

OK, this is crocheted, not knitted (which my human said was different) but this bed is so awesome, who cares? Kitties could be so snugly in this! The pattern is from Eilen Tein so go there and make your kitty one now! (Scroll down to the bottom for you English reading humans.)

Things a queen cat like myself MUST have.

Since I am queen cat of the house I demanded it was decided that I would, naturally, post first. For my first post I created a collection of things that are worthy of a cat such as myself. I am hoping that the staff around here will take notice that I am presently without ANY of these things and will take the appropriate measures to remedy the situation.

In other words - buy me stuff! I am completely worth the price tags.

The Marie Antoinette bed from Organic Pet Boutique. This is nothing short of the perfect bed for a royal member such as myself. 

I am embarrassed to admit that I must suffer and enter through a mere wooden cat door. This Swarovski Pet Flap is more befitting of a cat of my caliber.

Let Zeus and Athena eat out of those plastic Ikea bowls. THIS is the dish for me. After all, it is Versace! I deserve nothing less.

I cannot possibly be expected to eat average cat food out of a Versace bowl. I must have cat caviar from Beverly Hills Caviar.

Between constant napping on less-than-luxurious beds and eating cat food out of mere plastic bowls, I clearly need a vacation. Not an ordinary vacation spot, of course. I must book a suite at The Ings Luxury Cat Hotel in Yorkshire, England. In floor heating, four poster beds with goosefeather bedding, and bed time stories! What is not to like?

Yes, I could go outside and sit in a real tree, but why would I risk chipping a nail to do that? With this Sycamore Cat Tree I would practically have my own private forest. Inside. Where forests should be.

3 Cats and a Blog

We are three cats in sunny (and often rainy) Florida. We figured if that dog on Disney can have a blog, then there was no reason why we couldn't have one too. We are going to break up the blogging between the three of us - that way we don't miss out on any naps.

Here is our brief introduction. We hope you like it, we have never written an introduction before.

Hera

I am a 4 year old calico adopted as a kitten right from a fostering agency. My original owners threw me out of a moving car onto a busy road. The nerve!

My foster mother gave me the name Hera and the staff here (known to some cats as owners - yuck) thought the name suited me, so they kept it. I am queen of the house after all. The woman of the house sometimes calls me Miss Priss. How ridiculous. I'm not prissy, I just know what I want and expect others to get it for me. Nothing less for a Queen!

Note about me: I am the softest cat of the house. But I am sure no one is surprised by that. I am perfect!

Zeus

I am a 4 year old black cat adopted when I was one year old from a kill shelter. I was on sale for $5 because I was just one week from being euthanized. Can you imagine? I was adopted by Favoritegirl, the middle child in the family. She went right past the kittens and straight for me. That is why she will always be known as Favoritegirl to me. 

I am the most laid back of the cats in the house but I get scared easily, especially by plastic bags. Those things are creepy!!! 

Note about me: When I was adopted they changed my name to Zeus because it went so well with Hera. But Favoritegirl calls me Jiji after the cat in Kiki's Delivery Service. It caught on and so everyone in the house calls me that too.

Athena

At 1 year of age, I am the baby of the family.  And because I am a tortie, I am naturally the cutest. I was adopted when I was 5 months old from an extremely high kill shelter. I was soooo glad to get the heck out of there! I have lots of energy which I usually put to good use by causing trouble. I am so good at causing trouble that I am sometimes called Devilkitty by the humans. When it is my turn to write, I will tell you all about my escapades.

Note about me: Because I am small for my age, the woman of the house sometimes call me "Teeny Theeny." It is a good thing I am cute because it helps my owners forgive me faster when I cause so much trouble!

Stay tuned for our escapades and general musings!