This paper was written by one of our young adopters about her new kitten "Zoey" (formerly "Streaker")

She has a tiny, velvety, pink nose. Her eyes are a topaz color, with shades of amber. She has soft, satiny orange colored fur, with fluffy white paws, and a white diamond shape on her tummy. Her purr is like the soft sound of a tugboat motor that just won't stop. Her voice cries out in a meeeow sound like a new born baby's cry. She is very curious, always aware of everything and every sound around her. She is jumpy and playful. She sniffs every new thing. She uses her paws to bat things around, like pieces of string, the telephone cord, tissue paper, and anything else that crosses her path. She can be gentle too. She loves to cuddle up into a ball under my bed covers. She pushes her body into the curve in back of my knee. She is so sweet and innocent. She is new to this world, only 12 weeks old. She is startled by things that are new to her, like the sound of the garbage disposal, the electric garage door opening, or my dad cheering for the 49ers! Water fascinates her. She jumps up on the edge of the bathtub and balances herself like an olympic gymnist on a balance beam! The first night she was with us, she jumped up on the edge and slipped right into the tub. When we took her out, she flinched like sparks shooting out of a bonfire! Once we dried her off she was okay. I am sure you have guessed by now, Zoey is my brand new kitten. She was a birthday gift from my mom and dad. She is so special to me, and I love her a lot. I think she loves me too, and we can only hope that she is happy in her new home.

This letter arrived along with a donation from the daughter of two adopters.

I would like to make this donation in the name of my folks, Jan and Bob. The day after Thanksgiving, their dog died and left the house heartbroken and very empty. A few days later, mom was referred to Town Cats by my brother, Chris. The foster mom brought two adorable kittens - a brother and sister, all black and cute as can be. Of course, they stayed with my mom that night, and haven't left since. Tarzan and Sheena (formerly Smudge and Shalimar) are now happy and healthy with my folks, and my folks are thrilled (and very busy!) thanks to your organization. Thanks so much for the work that you do.

A note about Piggy Tail:

Piggy Tail
You may have seen the San Jose Mercury News column Animal Friends on 6/24/02, or other local news coverage about a major rescue that summer. We and our volunteer fosters took in just over 100 extra cats! Among them was Piggy Tail, a "success story cat" mentioned in the news stories and directly helped by your generosity.

March 2002

Hello,

On Saturday I adopted Jinx and I wanted to give you an update on how he is doing. Great!! He spent the first two days in the closet of an empty bedroom, he had a bed, food, water, toys, some stuffed animals so he wouldn't feel lonely and a night light. He wouldn't come out at all until Monday night, when we tempted him with some kitty treats. (Just like a man, we won his heart thru his tummy).

Now he is much more relaxed, lounging on the couch, purring up a storm, and rolling over for tummy rubs. He is still a bit jittery, especially when it comes to loud noises, I have a big parrot and a six year old, but they are trying to keep it down and he is growing used to the hustle and bustle of our house.

He is a sweet lovable guy and we just love him so much already. Well, that is we (my daughter and I), my resident 5 year old male cat still isn't crazy for the idea, but he will come along. He is still hissing and growling a bit, but has not even come close to any physically aggressive behaviors....just "woofing" a lot. So we are giving him extra love and attention and letting them occupy separate ends of the house so not to rush anything.

Thank you so much for allowing me to add Jinx to our family. I will follow up again soon with another update. Hopefully I will be able to add a picture of my resident cat Spookers and sweet little Jinx getting along and hanging out together. Bye for now, and thanks again.

February 2002

To all of you at Town Cats,

I just wanted to say thank you sooo much for helping me find a kitten. Oreo has been a true blessing to my life. I forgot just how much love a kitten can give. Though she did have a bit of a cold, you WONDERFUL saints over there weened her back to health. When she came back home she was a bit nervous but a few minutes later was playing up a storm. She likes to wake me up in the wee hours to play with her. (She climbs up and starts nibbling my ear or swatting my face with her tiny paw.)

I love having her a part of our family; my son too loves her just as much as I do. She is simply the best little kitty. When I told my mom that you found her sister she wanted to get her to join our family but then my dad said one is just fine. I will always be thankful for all your effort with Chappie and with Oreo aka Valentina. I can't say thanks enough. I know I may sound a bit sappy or mushy but it had been a while since my last cat was alive and I somewhat forgot just how much joy they can bring to one life. (even at 2:00 in the morning) You have made one family VERY happy. thank you.

December 2001

Greetings,

We three have now been one week in our new home and since then have adapted very well to being pampered! We have a new three-level kitty condo unit, with six hanging hammocks, allowing us to lay in the sun and look out the window. It is one of our favorite places.

The most favorite place is in the laps of our two people. They have not been able to accomplish anything during this week because the moment they sit down we jump into their laps for a cuddle!

If you want to see how happy we are, look at the attached picture. And thanks again, Town Cats (our medical records and adoption papers arrived today in the mail).

Hershey, Smokey, and Ottowa (now Baba-Lu)

December 2001

Hi!

I thought you'd like an update on Corbin (yes, he got to keep his "Town Cats" name). He's settled in with what has become his best bud and big brother, Stache, just fine. They can be found together most of the time (picture attached).... Stache has lost two pounds since Corbin came into the house from running after, and running from, Corbin. When I gave Stache a preventive bath (for the ringworm), he had pretty much lost his "Friskies" gut, and is looking lean and mean now. They chase each other all over the place. You might say Corbin keeps Stache on a strict regime of exercise.

Now I've had cats, since I was but a wee lad, and I have to say, Corbin is one of the most affectionate ones I've had. Though he meows some, his most favorite mode of communication is a mirk (meow combined with purr). He'll use several mirks in quick succession if he wants your attention, and sounds like a darned "Tribble" from Star Trek! LOL! ANYTHING, or pretty much anyone makes him purr...including a visit to the vet. He's also fully trained to "fetch" now, and will plunk his toy of choice right in your lap or hand when he wants to play. He continues to bring the thrown toy back until he finally is tired. He's harness trained already too, and we're working on leash training (walking on one that is).

So, enjoy the picture. When Corbin is all over his ringworm, and grown his fur back, we'll bring him by Petco for a weekend visit.

Take care!

November 2001

-- Note that the following cat, Burnett/Bernie, has a chronic sinus condition that doesn't slow him down a bit ...

Dear Town Cats family,

I've been wanting to write you all and tell you all about our "Bernie". As you may remember, We met Bernie September 29, 2001 at the Taste of Morgan Hill festival. As my daughter and I and our friends were contributing to your wonderful organization, we could not believe the personality in this cat you all called Burnett. He was so animated and unusually friendly. My daughter and I wanted to take him home right then!

We continued our day and kept talking about Bernie. We were very tempted to adopt him even though we had already obligated ourselves to take on a kitty whose owner had recently passed away. That evening, we received a phone call and were told that another relative decided to take that kitty and we didn't need to give him a home. I hung up the phone and looked at my daughter and said, "Let's call and see if Burnett is still available." We called and made an appointment for the very next day, Sunday.

On Sunday, September 29 we arrived at your facility and there was Bernie, front and center greeting us with heavy breathing, snotty purring and body slams! It was love at first sight all over again! On the way home, Bernie sat on my daughter's lap and purred and chatted and snorted the whole drive back to San Jose. We were concerned that the ride would upset him, yeah right! Mr. King Bernie took over the back seat and took a nap!

Well, Bernie's reception was not that exciting as our other kitty's didn't care for mom bringing home the tuna breathed, heavy breathing outsider! Bernie wanted to greet everyone, but everyone else decided to vacate the premises. One of our dogs, Nick a rescued Great Dane mix, was and is still more than willing to be Bernie's buddy, however Bernie doesn't think much of him.

After two weeks of being stuck in the house, we accidentally left the door open one morning a Bernie snuck out. We left for the day and returned home to Bernie sitting in the drive way yakking his head off at us. As the days passed we started hearing the most shocking tales from our neighbors.

One evening Bernie would not come when we called. He seemed to have vanished! We were upset and decided to give it till the morning to see if he was just out on an adventure. The next day I came to work, still worried about his absence. When I checked my voice mail there was a message from one of my neighbors. She said that she had Bernie at her house, and that he let himself in through their kitty door the evening before and decided to have a sleep over! Her husband loved Bernie and wanted to keep him. She was worried that he was sick because of his breathing, and she said he ate a whole can of tuna (imagine that). Bernie made himself right at home and slept in their bed with them. I was feeling a bit jealous and like I was looking like a bad mother and told her that she needed to send Bernie home!

The next few days came and went and another neighbor told me that Bernie was letting himself in their kitty door and eating their kitty's food and making himself right at home. Bernie it seems, loves children. These neighbors have a two year old, Caedon, who already has three kitties that want nothing to do with him. Caedon knows too well that the kittie bite and scratch. But not Bernie! Caedon screams and giggles when Bernie rubs all over him and body slams him for some love! Caedon now asks "Where's Bernie?" every time we see him. Caedon often comes over to our house and Bernie is his preferred pet to visit!

The stories keep coming, one afternoon on a Saturday we heard the sound of several children in our front yard. My immediate reaction was negative as I didn't want a ton of kids in my yard trampling my flowers or possibly wrecking my pots and plant sticks. When we looked out the window we saw seven or eight kids sitting in a circle on the lawn, giggling and chanting, "Bernie, no Bernie, over here, come here Bernie!" This kept repeating and in the middle of the circle was you guessed it, Bernie! He was going from kid to kid and they were petting and hugging him. We could not believe our eyes, and of course we didn't have a camera ready with film to capture the moment.

This guy truly makes the rounds in our neighborhood. I am actually afraid that someone will steal him as he is so unusual for a cat. Bernie is such a great guy and aside from his heavy, snorting, breathing and foul smelling tuna breath, we love him with all our hearts!

In looking at the medical records we see that the doctor you all took him to is our very own Dr. Grewal. What a small world!

You may all rest assured that Bernie is truly happy and well adjusted to his new family and circle of friends.

Bernie has inspired me to write a children's book about his life, and his many adventures. I will keep you all posted as after all, you are all his first family!

I will also send you all some pictures as soon as I get them developed.

October 2001

Lulu (formerly Elizabeth) is growing like a weed. She loves to play with the other cats (cat races down the hallway in the wee hours), and is fascinated by anything that moves -- laser dots, cat tails, bugs outside the screen door, or my toes under a blanket. A feral kitten, she is still a bit wary of me, but I'm appreciated at playtime or when there's TUNA for dinner!

August 2001

For all the Caesar fans... I have finally enclosed some pictures. Casper (Caesar) adapted well to our household and is almost smothered with attention. He is shown watching one of his favorite shows, Animal Planet, and actually goes up to the TV and touches the screen when there is something interesting on. We are now moving to Las Vegas and look forward to sharing our new home with Casper. He and I both thank you for being such a great organization in helping us meet up.

August 2001

Hello Town Cats:

We had a message on our answering machine that you called to check on Rayne (now known as Shannon) who we adopted after the Taste of Morgan Hill last year. She's doing just great. She 's adjusted well to our home and true to form, continues to be quite fearless. Unfortunately for our older cats (ages 14 and 7), our young dog took Shannon under her tail, so to speak, and has played with her and showed her all sorts of great dog stuff. As a result, the other cats think she is a bit psycho with how she plays (we've suspect she just wants to be the Alpha cat!). Having a Siamese has been a new experience for us, but she certainly keeps things lively.

She has grown into a beautiful cat with wonderful coloring.... Best of luck with the other kitties -- we wish we had room for a few more!

August 2001

I just wanted to thank you for the time and care that went into Flambé, she is a little darling that has my wife and I trained to her liking. Lucky for her it only took two days for her to get us ready. She is far cuter and more affectionate than we thought which is just what my wife wanted. Flambé carries around her favorite toy and loves the window in my office to sun herself.

This little one won our hearts. She has run of the house and enjoys following us around. She calls out to see where we are so she can bring her toy and give us a hint that she wants to play. The amazing part is that when we call for her she comes to get her affection and to, of course, play with her favorite toy.

I just wanted you to know she is in a good loving home and that what you do to bring her into our lives is appreciated.

July 2001

My husband and I have adopted 2 Town Kitties, and they are wonderful. Kona (previously "Tiny") was very small when we adopted her, she suffered from coccidia as a kitten, which you cured. We brought her home and she was a wonderful companion to the male cat we already had! We also discovered that she is double jointed on her front paw, which looks like a limp to some people, but we think it makes her more special! Unfortunately, we had to put down our male cat for a brain tumor:( We were heartbroken, and figured we should get a new buddy for Kona and ourselves.

We found Tigger (previously "Archer") He was sooo skinny and tall. He has fattened up since then, but he is still very tall and lanky, not to mention a klutz!

We are so happy with Towncats and send all our friends and family to you for their cats and kittens! Thank you so much for your services.

May 2001

We have adopted two cats through Towncats and we wanted to let you know how they were both doing. They really are incredibly affectionate cats and along with their sister, make our house a very happy and lively place.

We adopted Tabbitha in August 1998 and she was formerly known as Seagram. She was a rescued feral kitten with enormous ears. She is now the most incredibly good natured, affectionate cat that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She had started with a few problems as she did not like sharing the house or her food. Now she is more relaxed and enjoys sitting in the sun and asks everyone for tickles.

Last spring we adopted Jethro who was formerly known as Oz. We knew he had been returned after an unsuccessful adoption but we were drawn to his timidness. He still continues to be timid around strangers but when all the doors are shut and he is with his sisters, he rules!! We describe him as very in your face because he likes to let you know he is there and ready for affection. He will climb on you and almost butt you in the face to get attention. He likes to have contact and will happily curl up on you just as long as you keep those tickles coming.

December 2000

Hello!
We just wanted to update you on "Peony" (now named Mitzi). We adopted her a few weeks ago, and we are so happy! She is the most loving cat, and fits into our family purrrfectly. Her new sister Morgan gave her a hard time the first few days, but now they are the best of friends (picture incl). As you can see, they are practically twins.

Thank you so much everything you all do for the cat community, all your hard work and dedication does not go unnoticed.

May 2001

We just wanted to thank you for the info you sent us on Punkin. She is very happy with us - we keep her indoors at all times and she gets a LOT of attention from all of us. She is very fond of our two girls - when the girls are out, though, Hank and I do very well talking to her, playing with her, etc. Hope your other cats will be as lucky as Punkin (and us!)

December 2000

Tomo has been with us now for 9 months. He continues to grow even though he is about 1.5 years old - it seems his Maine Coon genes are pretty strong as Maine Coons do normally continue to grow up to 2 years old.

Tomo is a super cat - not a passive and floppy cat, but one who wants to be an active part (a very active part) of the family.

As an indoor cat he spends a lot of time looking out the windows at the birds or the neighbors dog. But Tomo is equally happy when making up stalking games, playing with his toys and rearranging the litter box just for fun. He has never tried to claw the furniture being quite content with his scratching post, though one part of the sofa is his and his alone.

He never tries to venture outside (which is a surprise) but will calmly look through an open door or through the hinge area as a delivery occurs or the car is unloaded.

We dearly love our furry friend. Thanks Town Cats for introducing Tomo to us - he has been a very great addition to our home.

April 2001

i adopted my little female cat Tazzie, from you at the santa clara petco back in aug of last year, (her name was ariel). She is such a wonderful companion, i brought Tazzy home with me, and she adapted quickly and easily to her 5 new brothers and sisters. i am a cat lover as you can tell, but they bring me so much joy... i just wanted to say thank you for all the work you do.. You gave my Tazzie a great start, and now she's truly loved.

April 2001

Just an update to let you know that Minerva (now "Lady") and Princess (now "Gypsy") are getting along just fine. They are eating and sleeping and playing like they've been with us for months. They are adjusting to each other still, but I think that they will become friends as Gypsy mellows and Lady becomes more trusting. Right now Gypsy is so full of energy and curiosity that she takes Lady by surprise sometimes, which Lady doesn't like. Lady is happiest when we give her a lap to curl up on and give her plenty of petting and love. Lady adores playing with her wand toy and Gypsy loves the "Seth-approved" play mice.

Thank you so much for rescuing these kitties, they have already brought us much love and companionship in the short time they've been with us.

July 2000

A few weeks ago, we adopted "Spidey" (a small black kitten) from you guys. The girl who had been taking care of him left a message on our phone but when I tried to call, the number seemed to be disconnected.

I know that she was very attached to him so I thought you might pass on these photographs of him to her. He has fitted in very well with our other cat (Rumble, who you called Apollo). Almost from the very first time they met, they have been great friends playing and sleeping with each other. We are so pleased to have two cats that get along so well.

Spidey does have an annoying habit of loving to suck your ears. I think this is probably because his mother was killed when he was so young. I hope he grows out of it!

March 2001

Hi Rosi,

Today two of my friends came over and they loved Topanga! She is growing; she is getting a little fatter. She sleeps under the cover by my legs, that is her favorte spot. I will e-mail you, in about a week to tell you how she is doing.

March 2001

Just wanted to let you know Tilly is still doing really well! She now rules the house! She enjoys laying on top of me and crashing out on me at night when I go to sleep. She is a very good companion and makes it hard for me to leave for work in the morning because she is so cute! :-) I found out this morning she has taken a liking to sharing breakfast with me! I was eating a bagel and she looked at it , so I took a little piece of it and offered it to her and she ate it and wanted more! So, I will use this sparingly as a treat. She is becoming more and more daring in exploring the house and is more social now. She likes to come down the stairs and see who is visiting. :-) Thanks again for letting me adopt this cutie!

July 2000

Rosi and friends,

Hi! I received follow up call from Town Cats the other day ~ "Juliet", renamed Priscilla, is doing great! She's been feeling fine ever since her surgery, and has turned into a beautiful young cat. She plays, talks, sleeps and purrs all day long. I can't thank you enough for making it possible for me to receive such a wonderful gift.

I think her favorite time of all is when I carry her upstairs to bed with us (She waits at the bottom of the stairs for me to pick her up). She absolutely has to sleep between my legs, and purrs so loud she sounds like a motor boat!

I was so sad, you had a beautiful cat named "Anita", at the Morgan Hill Petco that I wanted (she reminded me of Silly) ..... But by the time I could talk Richard into her she was gone. Please let me know if she comes back for ANY reason! Thanks again.

July 2000

We adopted 2 kittens from you at the Petco on Blossom Hill. The first a male named Fluffy (male grey ,now called Shadow) and Kai( female tri-color now called Jitterbug). Both kittens are doing very well. I am enclosing two pictures.

December 2000

Check my website of some photos of Cosmo and Amy... http://www.xscom.com/rak/cats/index.html

I'll be adding pictures, later, that I took with a camera...The photos of Amy are through my web camera.

February 2001

I wanted to drop you a line to let you know how two kittens that we adopted a year ago were doing.

Last October (1999) we adopted Jarrod and Gwen (who we renamed Josie). You may remember me writing a while back because Jarrod, an orange tabby, was defecating around the house and we were beside ourselves. Well, we bought a house in Brentwood in July and things are much better. The kitties love the new house! There are so many places for them to hide! I just wanted to let you all know that we love our kitties very much. My kids (two boys) love those cats so much that they take them to bed with them. I hope you are successful in placing all your kittens. You do great work!

I just thought I would let you know how happy we are.

June 2000

I thought I would send you a few baby pictures of him! =o)

August 2000

We just adopted Chewy (formerly Larry), on Saturday, August 5th. We are so happy with him!! He is very affectionate, and has quickly taken his place in our home. We are now looking into adopting one of his siblings too, but I wanted to show you how he was doing. Thanks again.

December 2000

Hi everybody,

I just wanted to e-mail you and tell you Precious(she's been renamed Leann after the singer Leann Rymes) is doin great.My mom and dad just love her.She really smart and comes when she's called.She likes to stand on the counter say hello and goodbye to everyone as they come in and out the door. And sometimes she and tommy(our kitten) play-stalk each other.She'll sneek up behind the pillow and if you say "Le-Annnnn!" in a stern voice she all of a sudden becomes very interested in the pillow because she knows she's not supposed to stalk tommy.Anyway,just wanted to tell you guys how much i LOVE her and Thanks for lettin me have her.

P.S. Remember how she was kinda scrawnny when I got her? Well she's put on a ;ot of weight so now she's more solid(like Prince was)and has a little potbelly. My Dad calls her butterball but she doesn't like that! :-)Bye

February 2001

Just wanted to send a little message on how Ellis loves his new home! At first his sisters did not welcome his joining our family, but they have accepted him now. Clarabelle in particular likes her brother as he plays much more than her older sister Maggie. He has made a trip to the vets office where his doctor gave him an exam and medicine to treat his ring worm and earmites. He's not to thrilled with the meds but is very cooperative. He has been a great addition to our family of furry children!! My husband and I are so glad that we adopted him. Between him and Maggie we always have a conversation of meows going on. He also has learned their little habits of begging for treats when anyone is in the kitchen!! He is such a love. He is also growing fast, the paws keep getting bigger and bigger!! We will keep you updated on his new life with us. Again we are so glad to have him

November 2000

Last August I adopted a kitten from Towncats, from the PETCO store in Los Gatos. His name was "Frocky," (now "Lucky Luke") described as the "runt" of a rescued litter who had to wait to find a home because he was so tiny and underweight, barely 2 scrawny lbs when I brought him home, with every vertebrae visible. On his papers I have two different ages for him, a difference of about three weeks or so, and I wondered if you could give me a more accurate estimate of his age, and anything else about his story, like where he was found, what his life was like? I would appreciate anything you can tell me.

By the way, he finally began to develop an appetite and now weighs in at over 4 lbs (he weighs himself sometimes, on the bathroom scale so I can read it), with a little round pot-tummy and a taste for turkey cold cuts. When he settled in he came down with what the vet described as a "usual upper respiratory bug" from moving stress and a new environment, but that passed in about 10 days, then my other two cats came down with it in succession.

All are fine now. Lucky Luke is one of the sweetest cats I have ever met, friendly and playful. But he is growing more and more clever at ways to try to sneak outside, which fascinates him, esp. since the two older cats are allowed out and he is left with no one home. The others won't play with him either, though he is slowly winning them over and they share food dishes.

He likes the Bird Watch program on TV and tries to catch the birds. Computer torment is another favorite of his. He is the second best leaper I have known, and does some tricks I have never seen other cats do - like jumping straight up 3 feet and then forward one foot in the same jump, in order to see the surface of a high table before landing on it - so in case he decides to abort the landing, he never touches the table!

Thank you for rescuing this wonderful guy for me, what a delight he is. He is also very careful with his claws, learning without even being scolded which clothes are thick enough to allow using me as a tree, and never clawing in play unless I say ok. He often rides on my shoulder, draped front to back, without support - purring and letting all his legs just hang, looking silly.

I hope you can give me a closer estimate of his age. Thanks again, and you have a very attractive and easy website, congratulations.

Dear Town Cats,

We wanted to share our adoption story with you and your website readers.

Our cat's name is Guinness. We adopted him at Pet Food Express in San Jose in April of 2002. As you can see, he's a very handsome fellow. He's a chocolate-point Siamese, and is approximately 12 years old now and in good health. We felt that adopting an adult cat, rather than a kitten, might be better for our situation. Both of us work full-time, though our schedules overlap so Guinness is never alone for
more than a few hours. By the end of the day, we don't have a lot of energy to chase after a rambunctious little kitten, but snuggling with an adult cat is just about our speed. We also knew that older cats can be overlooked sometimes by families who are looking for young cats or kittens--and we wanted to give one of the older fellows a good home. They deserve love, too!

Guinness loves to be groomed with a brush and will lie next to us on the couch, all stretched out, in order to be brushed properly. When he feels he's had thorough attention on one side, he flips over so we can groom the other side. Amazingly, he also produces his paws on request so his nails can be trimmed blunt--he's incredibly nonchalant about the whole affair. He sometimes scratches the carpet, but since his claws are clipped weekly, he doesn't do any damage. Guinness is calm and very affectionate. He just loves
to be petted and cuddled. And like many Siamese, he's VERY vocal. He loves to talk! In fact, he would like to say a few words himself.

Guinness says,

Greetings, Town Cats! I wanted to let you know how things are going. Therefore, I'm dictating this letter to my female human, who handles all my media and correspondence. Life here is quite nice--there are lots of cushy areas for me to sit, sleep, and groom. The windowsills are wide, and the view is pleasant. I like to watch the birds; the screens on the windows are very secure and the humans check them several times a week to keep me from getting out. I also love warming up an office chair if nobody is occupying it, or lying on the bed in a sunbeam in the afternoon.

I have developed a bit of a routine based on the humans. For example, I've learned that the female really hates the alarm clock in the morning. So each morning, about half an hour before the alarm clock goes off, I wake her gently by walking all over her face and talking to her cheerfully: MRROW, MRROW, MRRRT. This way, she avoids the dreaded alarm, but still wakes up on time. Similarly, at night, I make sure that she falls asleep peacefully: I give her a scalp massage with my paws, always trying to be very, very
careful not to claw her. PRRRRRR. The male human is nice, too. He's got a scratchy beard--it's just right for me to rub against when I stretch! Even though I make him sneeze sometimes, it's clear that he adores me anyway and he loves to pet me and talk with me. MEOW.

The female likes to crochet. When she gets about halfway finished with a blanket, I take it for a test drive by climbing into her lap and plopping down on her yarn work. I believe she appreciates my continued interest in her projects. I think she is working on some blankets for my friends back at the shelter.

Thank you, Town Cats, for making all of our lives better!

Love, Warn, Carrie, and Guinness

Hi all -

I just wanted to send you a picture of Quechee (Mowgly) and Thumper (Clark). They are both doing great and having a great time together. Quechee is the "daddy" and takes care of Thumper. He continues to be a laid back guy - most of the time - after he and Thumper are done chasing each other and playing.
Thumper thinks that he is a bloodhound and has to smell everything like a little puppy - all the while keeping his "motor" on - he such a loving little guy.

Thank you for giving our family the opportunity to take in such loving guys - next time it will be a little girl.
Sincerely,

Deb S.

This is Mugs, who was trapped as a kitten at a body shop dumpster and we placed on 2.5 acre site where he's living the good life with about 10 more feral kitties.

Judy - it's a gorgeous shot!
I'm so glad you got him again!

Monica, now Frances, is doing so well I just thought I'd let you know how things are going. Yesterday was day 10 of the 'integration'. My 8 month old kitten Poppy got used to her after about 2 days so unfortunately she REALLY wants to play with Frances, who REALLY REALLY does not want to play with Poppy. But over the last few days, Frances has started to spend more and more time out of her safe room, when I come home in the evenings she is sitting on my front window sill which totally surprised me on Friday when it was Frances and not Poppy in the window.

She'd never ventured into my room until last night, and also she and Poppy can now coexist on the couch, usually one on either side of me. There is still no touching allowed (that is Frances's rule which Poppy has a really hard time following because she likes to TOUCH THINGS.) BUT even after I get off the couch, they'll sit there together as long as there is at least a foot in between.

This is major progress because up until about this Tuesday, Frances wouldn't stay in a room if Poppy was there. Anyway, she is a VERY BIG lap cat, she spent hours last night sitting on my lap. She doesn't seem to like any of the treats I bought for her, I have Pounce, the soft ones, and then these tarter control crunchy ones, and she won't touch any of them. Hmmmm. She does inhale the wet food however. I bought her a brush which she LOVES, we have quiet time together while I brush her.

Another thing she gets major points for is that she only seems to like to scratch the carpet! Poppy is a big fan of upholstered furniture. Go Frances! No one seems to like the scratching thing I bought though. She likes to hang out in a corner under a little lamp in her room (warm), on a shelf in my laundry room (quiet) and for some reason under the tv set and on all the cords and cable boxes etc in the living room (no clue). She is also very well behaved, I painted my apartment last! weekend, I had to shut Poppy in my room because there was just no question that she would sit in the paint or something, but I let Frances come and go as she pleased and she hung around us but didn't go near the paint, good kitty!

Anyway, whenever I get the digital pictures from my Mom I'll send them to you.

Thanks again for Frances, she is a lovely cat!
Jill

UPDATE

Hi Judy & Rosi,

I just thought you'd like to see a picture of Monica (now Frances) this is from her first day with me. Every day she is better and better, now there is no where in the apartment she won't go, she is confident and is EVEN warming up to her new little sister Poppy, the hissing has gone down considerably and this morning I swear they were chasing each other around the apartment for fun, which was a first, usually they chase but I doubt its fun for anyone.......the attachment is a nice one of her climbing on my lap for the first time!

Jill

We adopted Sweet Pea in November 2002 and Blanco in December 2002. Attached is a recent picture showing them with our 6-year old cat, Ella, who is the tabby in the back. Their new names are Abby and Sergei. As you can see they are no longer kittens! Both started life as feral kittens, so it is taking some time for them to get used to us and trust us but they get along well and play together and with Ella. Abby is turning out to be an intelligent cat and Sergei is proving that he can and will eat everything in sight. They are a real joy and we hope they have happy lives with us for a long, long time. Please share this email and picture with Diane, who was their foster mom.

In sadder news, we are losing one of our dear adopted cats. Gris-Gris was adopted from Towncats in March 2000 - his original name was Pancho. He is very old and is now dying from chronic renal failure. My eyes fill with tears as I write this because we love him very much. We hadn't set out to adopt him when we went to the Petco on Blossom Hill Road (it has since closed) to buy catfood. But Gris-Gris, which means "Gray-Gray" in French, was in a cage all by himself and looked very lonely. He squeaked at us when we held him and we knew instantly that he had to come home with us. He's a very good cat and very talkative too. Although he and Ella were not friends, he seems very tolerant and patient with Abby and Sergei. They like him as well. I know we'll all miss him - even Ella, I think.

Lori B

Webmistress note: Sadly Gris-Gris passed away 04.12.03

Hi,

I thought you'd like to know how Mary & Rosella (now renamed Rozee) have been doing. It's been just over 6 months since they came home with me and they're doing really well. They are both two sweet little girls with funny personalities.

Mary is about as lovable as a cat could be. She'd let you pet her all day if you have the time. She'll roll over on her back and pull herself along the carpet with her claws when you pet her. She won't sit on my lap yet, but will stand on it. She'll lay right next to me and actually rest her head on my lap and look up at me with her big gold eyes. She'll also lay between my husband's legs when he's got his feet up on the recliner. I'm working on picking her up. It's going slowly, but she's not as panicky when I hold her for about 30 seconds and tell her what a good kitty she is.She is so sweet. Mary has the job of waking me up every morning and Rozee waits for her to get me going. Then they both run down the stairs for breakfast.

Rozee has really come out of her shell. She will allow me to pet her every morning and several time during the dat. She likes you to sit in a chair and then she'll come up to you and let you pet her. She'll actually meow and come over when I sit on a particular chair in our living room. Both she and Mary love to look out our living room window. Rozee gets so excited chattering at all the birds she sees. My husband can also pet her. She still gets in moods when she doesn't want to be touched or when she does letyou pet her she gives a look that says she thinks she's being tortured. Rozee managed to get her collar off while we were on vacation and neither our pet sitter or we have been able to get it back on again. She takes off when she sees us coming with it. It will take some careful strategy to get it back on. I've also tried to hold her a couple of times, just putting both hands on her body and keeping her in one place. She wasn't happy about it, but didn't panic as she would have before. She will jump up on the sofa when Mary is sitting there next to me and sit a couple feet away. Then she'll look at me like she really wants to sit close, but she can't bring herself to do it yet. I think she will eventually.

My daughter's cat, JB (James Bond) who is a neutered male about 5 years old came to stay with us for two months while they got their condo ready to sell and also while we all went to Europe for an former exchange student's wedding. Mary & Rozee had no problem with JB since they are used to being around others cats. It was hard for JB, though. He's lived with us before our daughter got married last year. He got along well with our two older cats and once again within a week he was doing fine with the girls. He and Rozee did a lot of teasing with each other. JB is bigger and growled a lot, but Rozee found out he's really a big wimp and started pushing him around a little. It turned out that they had lots of fun together, running up and down the stairs chasing each other. JB annoyed Mary more than anything, but we had no fights, just a little hissing and some paw bopping.

I am so happy we adopted Mary & Rozee. They were both so shy at first and maybe not the kind of cats (because of that) that many people would be attracted to, but we get a lot fo satisfaction when they make some more progress.

I'm including some pictures that are a little old, but the newer ones are still in the camera.

Thanks again for taking such good care of Mary & Rozee until we could adopt them. Our home wouldn't be the same without them.

CP

Hi, this is Libbi, who adopted Romeo on Saturday. I got your message after I got back from dinner tonight. Anyway, we decided to rename him Scooter. He is doing great! He's a great cat!! He was a little scared and hot on the ride back home, but as soon as we got him in the house and gave him a drink of water, he perked up immediately. We set up his food/water and litter and let him explore around. I showed him the litter box twice and then later, he went there all on his own! I was so impressed. He is able to jump up and down from my bed on his own. He was wonderful on the first night, he slept with us all through the nite and was an angel. He purrs about 90% of the time. In the morning he was up and at em again. We gave him a little bit of wet food this morning and he loved it. We are still feeding him the dry food that you were feeding him. We love this cat! He is really affectionate and likes to cuddle. On that first day that we got home, he had a little bit of diarrhea, but today he had a perfectly fine bathroom experience, so I think it was just from being scared coming home. He certainly ate all day after that, so he's okay now.

Libbi

Cali & Dutchess( aka Gillie & Skipper )
Thought you would like to see a recent picture of the kids. They are doing great and Cali is starting to play with the dogs. Hope all is well.

Mary & Rozee (Rosella)

Thought you'd like to hear how Mary & Rozee (Rosella) are doing after a year. They have settled in very well. Considering how shy they both were at the beginning (especially Rozee), both girls are much friendlier, especially with my husband and myself.

Mary continues to be a sweet little cat. Bowie, you were right. She has become a lap cat. She has been sitting next to me on the sofa for months, also standing and walking on my lap. Just recently she sat down for just a minute or so. I've found that she loves this quilt that I made and when it's on my lap she'll sit there and go to sleep. My husband put the quilt over his lap last night and Mary climbed right up there. I can also pick her up more easily now. It's still not her favorite thing, but you can hold her for a while and she doesn't hold it against later. She'll usually come right back to be pet.

Rozee is a little character. She's still much more cautious than Mary although she is the nosiest. She now lets us pet her most of the time without running away, although she still likes to take off some times. It appears to be a game with her. In the beginning we could only pet her very softly abd infrequently, but now she lets Mark really give her a massage. She also loves the quilt. She'll come over and sit on the edge of it near me. She looks like she want to get on my lap too, but isn't sure about it yet. (I think she will someday.) Rozee also loves to chase after any toy with feathers or string on it. Sometimes we'll hear this plaintiff meow and we'll find that she's brought one of her feather toys with her and wants to play with it.

Both girls get along well with each other. I've only seen Mary bat at Rozee once or twice. They rub their heads together and seem pleased to have the other around. Rozee has the most fun with my daughter's cat, JB when he comes to visit. They chase each other around. JB only annoys Mary. She won't play with him and seems intimidated by him some of the time. Finally she'll get mad and bop him. He's not mean, just like to put on a big show. (He loves to play and he's used to living with a sheltie puppy and they play together all the time.)

It's really satisfying to see these two cats make progress, although it's been slow. I'd have preferred a little faster, but it's a great reward when they trust you enough to sit on your lap. It's just taken lots of patience, but it's certainly been worth it.