A Pep Talk for Crux and Sierra
Okay girls, we know you’re ready to find a very special adopter! Crux — you have come so far since you first arrived at Cat Town! Your inner confident cat is on full display when you play with so many visitors. You pounce and leap and twirl and are clearly having fun. And all the while, your progress is growing by leaps and bounds, too! When you first arrived at Cat Town you were so uncertain. You’d hide out in cubbies away from people and other cats, trying to feel safe in a strange new place. It’s great to now…
Okay girls, we know you’re ready to find a very special adopter!
Crux — you have come so far since you first arrived at Cat Town! Your inner confident cat is on full display when you play with so many visitors. You pounce and leap and twirl and are clearly having fun. And all the while, your progress is growing by leaps and bounds, too!
“And lately, you’re letting people sit closer and closer, when before you would have dashed away. ”
When you first arrived at Cat Town you were so uncertain. You’d hide out in cubbies away from people and other cats, trying to feel safe in a strange new place. It’s great to now see you spend all your time in our big, open space with so many other cats and people. While you’re still a shy girl and not ready for pets, when we get out a toy, you are on it! And lately, you’re letting people sit closer and closer, when before you would have dashed away. We are so impressed with your progress, bringing you closer and closer to finding a forever home.
Crux, you are such a stunning tuxedo girl that everyone notices your striking beauty. Someday soon a patient and loving guardian will see what we see in you, and want to give both you and Sierra a home. You may now be starting to look for your person, too, because when you’re not playing, you’re perched on a chair watching everyone or looking out the window — and now your friend Sierra, has taken up the same watch!
Sierra, we know you’re shy about being touched as well, but people can’t help it: your unusual gray abby-tabby coloring — especially the lovely ombre gray stripes on your tail and legs — makes wanting to pet you the very first thought in our minds. We know you’re still building up courage to let admirers in just a little bit closer as you calmly perch on your favorite infinity scratcher (right next to the window, of course), and we are rooting for you to finally learn how great it is to have a human best friend. It’s just as good as having a feline friend, trust us!
We know that Crux has been a good role model for you — just a little more brave, and full-on when it comes to playing! We know that by watching her example, you’ll eventually graduate from your “one-paw-in, one-paw-out” approach to being all-in, too, but in your own way. You don’t have to leap in the air like Crux — she’s been practicing for months! When you’re ready to join in, we know you’ll have fun, and every baby step towards letting your guard down more is a step we celebrate with you.
One of these days, you both will be perched on a chair or leaning on the window, watching the passers-by, only to discover that a visitor inside, right behind you — someone very patient, with a soft spot for cats like you — is ready to invite you home to stay! We hope that day is soon, but for now, you have all the time you need with us.
With your support, Celeste can be herself again
With only four days left, we are $26,000 from our goal to secure $100,000 in matched donations from Maddie’s Fund. To make sure we succeed, an anonymous donor has agreed to double the next $10,000 in donations, transforming $10,000 into a total of $40,000 over the next 48 hours!
By Dawn Pieper
With only four days left, we are $26,000 from our goal to secure $100,000 in matched donations from Maddie’s Fund. To make sure we succeed, an anonymous donor has agreed to double the next $10,000 in donations, transforming $10,000 into a total of $40,000 over the next 48 hours!
Though always a sweet girl, the shelter environment was just too stressful for Celeste.
These funds will make sure I can help more cats like Celeste, an affectionate girl who was immediately put up for adoption at the shelter. However, her sensitive spirit couldn’t handle the chaotic environment. She soon stopped using her litter box, instead spending her days trying to disappear from view.
In her foster home, Celeste is thriving!
The team at Oakland Animal Services recognized how stressed she was and quickly moved Celeste to the back of the shelter — the calmest space available. Even here, she kept her eyes closed as she hid under her blanket. The shelter had done everything they could to help her. However, I knew that she would become her sweet self again if we could get her out of that cage, so I placed her in a Cat Town foster home.
Now Celeste has everything she could possibly want: a cozy bed, lots of toys, and a wonderful person to keep her company while she waits to be adopted. She's back to being her sweet self. However, there are other scared, stressed cats waiting for help in the back of the shelter. All they need is a chance to feel safe. I think about them constantly and would help each of them in a second if we had the funds for the medical care and other supplies these cats will inevitably need.
These cats are why securing every dollar of this match is so important. Please make a donation today, so Cat Town can save every shelter cat waiting for us, without any hesitation.
Back to the Cat Town Blog.
Friday Pep Talk: Smallz
Ok Smallz, this is your week! You’re going to get adopted, you just have to show everyone your sweet self. Be brave you wonderful boy!
By Marie Carney
Ok Smallz, this is your week! You’re going to get adopted, you just have to show everyone your sweet self. Be brave you wonderful boy!
Photo by Liz Lazich.
I remember when you first came to Cat Town you were so scared. We were hopeful you would come out of you shell quickly, but it was overwhelming for you. All the activity and the big room was too much, but we were so patient with you. Curled up in the Quiet Zone we talked to you and pet you when you felt ready. Soon you started showing how sweet and playful you really are, coming out to the big room to play at night and run around with your kitty friends.
Now, look at you, Smallz! The first cat to greet staff in the morning! The one playing in the middle of the room and rubbing on visitors legs. You play effortlessly with everyone, and share your love openly, purring and cuddling (especially after playtime). When we do special treat nights I love how you are front and center, grabbing my hand and holding it. You’ve become the role model for the other cats showing them how to interact with people and be brave. It’s your time, Smallz, I know it! There’s a home out there just waiting for a loving, playful, silly cat like you.
If you’re ready to make Smallz a part of your family, email info@cattownoakland.org or come meet him in our Adoption Center to speak with a trained Adoption Counselor.
Back to the Cat Town Blog.
KITTEN WIRE: MEET TIGER AND FAWN
OAKLAND — "Bolty." "Terrified." "Hissing and kicking."
That's how volunteers and staff at the Oakland Animal Services described a pair of kittens who landed in shelter cages during last year's kitten season.
"FKP material?" a kennel note read.
OAKLAND — "Bolty." "Terrified." "Hissing and kicking."
That's how volunteers and staff at Oakland Animal Services described a pair of kittens who landed in shelter cages during last year's kitten season.
"FKP material?" a kennel note read.
Fawn (left) and Tiger (right) with their former cage-mate, Raven (center). Photo by Cathy Niland.
That shorthand — or more precisely what it represents — saved those kittens lives. The Forgotten Kitten Project, an innovative program developed by Cat Town in partnership with the Oakland municipal shelter, gives scared, hissy kittens that don't fit the criteria for being placed up for adoption a second chance.
Cat Town rescued that “bolty” pair, gave them the names Tiger and Fawn — and a chance to relax in a free-roaming environment. After making huge progress in learning to love humans, these spry, playful tweens, as we call older kittens, are ready to find their future family.
As is the case with many of our Forgotten Kittens, Tiger benefits from more confident role models. Photo by Liz Lazich.
Tiger and Fawn have benefited from Cat Town's range of options: a chance to model the behavior of more confident cats in Cat Town's main adoption center, one-on-one socialization with specially trained volunteers and staff, and time in their own studio space where their diet can be controlled (a precautionary measure) while they still get daily visits.
How does Cat Care Attendant Camden Z. describe these two now?
In the case of Tiger, the more outgoing gray-and-white male: "Super affectionate." "Loves to play."
Tiger and Camden enjoy a quick pet before dinner time. Photo by Liz Lazich.
And his shyer sister with the all-gray coat? "Increasingly curious." "Accepts pets while sleepy."
You too can help Tiger and Fawn build confidence by visiting them in their private adoption center studio. Make a reservation, or if you're looking to adopt, reach out to staff at info@cattownoakland.org.
Cat Town is working to help other rescues across the country replicate our work with Forgotten Kittens thanks to a generous grant from Maddie’s Fund. First visit to the Cat Town blog? Learn more about our Forgotten Kitten Project in our regular Kitten Wire dispatches.
Back to the Cat Town Blog.
Be a Hero Adopter This Holiday Season
It can be difficult for some of Cat Town’s older, less outgoing, or higher-need cats to find their perfect match, so we’re turning the spotlight on a few of our feline residents who need an extra special person or family this holiday season. If you’re looking to make a big impact in the life of a vulnerable shelter cat, you could be what we call “a hero adopter”. A hero adopter is someone with an extra-large heart, open to helping a cat still building a positive relationship with humans or facing health challenges.
Meet all our cats looking for hero adopters, and if you are a hero waiting in the wings, we hope you'll take to the stage during this holiday season!
It can be difficult for some of Cat Town’s older, less outgoing, or higher-need cats to find their perfect match, so we’re turning the spotlight on a few of our feline residents who need an extra special person or family this holiday season. If you’re looking to make a big impact in the life of a vulnerable shelter cat, you could be what we call “a hero adopter”. A hero adopter is someone with an extra-large heart, open to helping a cat still building a positive relationship with humans or facing health challenges.
Meet all our cats looking for hero adopters, and if you are a hero waiting in the wings, we hope you'll take to the stage during this holiday season!
Didi
According to this sweet girl’s foster, Didi loves sitting on laps, making biscuits while purring up a storm, and even giving a few kisses when she’s feeling extra happy.
It’s important for potential adopters to know Didi has a congenital defect in her spine. Her 6th and 7th vertebrae are fused together, but that doesn’t stop this very active lady! She likes to play and will chase anything that moves. Didi has a cute little waddle and is able to hop up on low surfaces, but she would do best in a home with little or no stairs or tempting high ground. She takes medication once a day to help her feel more comfortable.
Herman
Herman has been in the cat zone at Cat Town for a few months, and we’ve already seen such incredible progress! This handsome fellow is very cautious around people, but with the help of our dedicated volunteers, he’s learning humans are on his side.
Volunteer Nancy J. recently wrote about a special encounter she had with Herman during her shift at Cat Town, saying, “Herman let me pet him for as long as I wanted! He was under a blanket and was so happy, drooling and rolling around for better petting angles. A testament to all of you [who] have worked so diligently with him—he has made much progress!”
Maisy
This gorgeous senior girl makes an unforgettable impression on everyone she meets! Though Maisy is cautious with new people, once she’s warmed up she is as sweet as can be. She loves snuggling on the sofa and when the mood strikes, she can also be very playful. She’s even one of those rare cats who like to have their belly rubbed. Maisy’s foster says she’s a wonderful companion and likes to “put her paw on you when you are near,” which seems like her version of holding hands!
Potential adopters should be aware Maisy is on a special diet for a food allergy, but this doesn’t impact her overall health.
Marcella
Full of energy and ready to play, Marcella is a curious kitty looking for an adventure! She’s made significant progress since coming to Cat Town, and while she’s still a little shy around new faces, she’s a confident and affectionate cat who would make a great addition to a home that’s full of activities, love, and patience.
Potential adopters should know Marcella’s eyelid injury doesn’t slow her down or seem to bother her, but she will need an adopter who will keep her health in mind so she can keep on living her very best life! We also recommend having plenty of scratching posts available—Marcella is a big fan of de-stressing by stretching out her paws!
Natalie
If you’ve been to Cat Town recently or tuned in to our live Maddie cam, chances are, you’ve probably seen quiet girl Natalie cruising around or laying in her favorite hammock. With her giant yellow-green eyes and pretty little whiskers, she can captivate you in an instant. Slowly but surely she is making progress, and in recent weeks she has begun to accept pets from visitors and Cat Town staff and volunteers. While Natalie is building her confidence, we hope to see her find her way into the heart of her perfect match. She’s getting braver and braver every day!
Schedule your visit to Cat Town today to meet Natalie!
Summer
While she is reserved, Summer is an exceptionally sweet cat with an affectionate nature revealed when comfortable. Since coming to Cat Town, she’s blossomed into a playful and loving cat. Her foster tells us Summer enjoys being pet, loves people-watching by the window, and will even wait on the bath mat during shower time to get some extra attention.
It’s important for potential adopters to know Summer isn’t a big fan of loud noises or new faces, and we recommend she join a home with another cat since she likes company and can gain confidence from the encouragement of a friend.
Ruby
Senior lady Ruby doesn’t let her age slow her down one bit! According to her foster, she’s very adaptable, easygoing, and has a big personality. She comes running when the foster comes home and loves sitting in peoples’ laps, purring away. Ruby is content to be alone but also very clearly enjoys family time.
Potential adopters should be aware Ruby has hyperthyroidism, a treatable condition for which she needs to take one medication per day. While we’ve observed she gets along fine with other cats and even young children, we think a senior cat like her would appreciate having a little more peace and privacy in her long-term home and recommend she only go to a family with older kids and other laidback cats.
If you can be a hero for one of these special cats this holiday season, send us an email today at info@cattownoakland.org.
Back to the Cat Town Blog.