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Dear MEOW 2008 (July-Dec.)
MEOW cats and their families write in to tell us about their new lives together.
Dear MEOW,
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Becker waiting for water. |
I can only start to express how
wonderful the experience working with you to adopt our big little kitty
was. Becker is a perfect fit for our family and has really opened up to
us, its like he's a kitten again. Having that initial trial month was
really important to us since we had a puppy in the house already. We
had a bit of a rough start but we all adapted quickly and have become
very attached to each other. Becker follows me around the house,
helping me with the chores, is very talkative and loves to be loved. We
cuddle, take naps together and play in the most ridiculous ways (Becker
is a real tease and a little kooky).
Becker
and Mardi (our puppy) are typical brothers, they like to tease each
other, chase each other and just hang out. Its funny they like to copy
each other sleeping together, running to the door when they hear the
door bell, chasing the same toys and steeling each others treats.
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Mardi
and Becker having a nap. |
Initially
we were looking to adopt a kitten but since Becker has joined our
family we are so glad to have given an older cat a chance. He is
everything we ever wanted and we hope that he is just as happy as we
are to have him here ... It sure seems like it!
Thank you soo much, Happy Holidays
Kirsten, Warren, Becker and Mardi |
Dear MEOW,
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Gracie |
I have been in my new home for about 3 1/2 months now and thought I'd let you know how it's going.
My new name is Gracie
(MEOW name Gretel)
and my whole life has changed. I was very scared when I first got here.
It took me 2 months to come out of my safe room but when I finally
ventured out, I really blossomed. It didn't take me too long to realize
who the boss was in this house, and as hard as I tried, it wasn't going
to be me. Emma won out, but I gave it my best attempt. Everyday I am
learning how to play better with my sisters. At first, I was so
aggressive, they were terrified of me, but everyone was very patient
because they realized, I just didn't know how to play. Things are going
along much smoother now.
I really like the dog and I
really LOVE my mom. I sit on her lap and she pets me alot. I like to
nuzzle my face into her arm and then I drool like crazy. It's great! I
let my dad pet me too but only when I'm in my bed. I don't let anyone
else touch me yet but maybe one day. For now, this is perfect for me.
I would like to thank everyone at MEOW who looked after me for close to
3 years before I finally found my forever home. I am so happy to be so
loved!!!!!
Love Gracie |
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Dear MEOW,
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| Karma and Kali |
It's been just short of a year now, since Kali
(
MEOW name Mona) and Karma
(MEOW name Melinda)
found their home with me, they're about a year and a half now. Karma is
named fairly obviously, as Karma is something a believe to exist, and
Kali was named after a Hindu Goddess.
I'm fortunate to say that
they couldn't have been any easier. They're well behaved little girls,
that have no interest in jumping on the counters or chewing things they
shouldn't. (Lucky me)
Karma is the somewhat more social sister, and enjoys afternoon naps
near my neck. Kali prefers to visit and cuddle up by sitting close, but
not on your lap.They both spend at least a portion of the night
sleeping by my head, especially when they're waiting for me to wake up
in the morning.
They're not shy to remind me it's dinner time, regardless of whether it
is or not, and would eat me out of house and home if I let them.
Kali likes a good scratch behind the head, Karma prefers head-butts.
Kali's meow is a squeak, and Karma sounds like a question. (A question usually about food).
Kali eats wet food faster and Karma eats dry food faster.
Kali will steal any food Karma hasn't eaten yet, and Karma will let her.
So I supervise when they eat, to make sure Karma gets to eat all of her food. :)
I recently moved to a different cat-friendly apartment, only a few
blocks away. Kali and Karma were great, and adjusted very quickly, only
took about 12 hours for them to be running around, playing tag again.
Karma highly enjoys going for walks to get mail in the pet stroller I
got, and jumps right in when ever I move it. Kali is still undecided,
but doesn't mind walking around the apartment in it.
As you might be able to tell, I spoil these girls that bring so much
joy to my life. I'm so gleeful to share my life with them, and can't
imagine coming home without them there. Sometimes my favorite part,
just before I get home, is when I can see how many toy mice they're
pushed under the door into the hallway, I'm sure my neighbors think I'm
crazy.
Thank you MEOW for your large hearts, hard work, caring commitment and
for everything you do. I will forever tell friends and strangers to
seek out MEOW for their kitty needs.
Love Amanda, Kali and Karma |
Dear MEOW,
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Neville's balancing act |
I
just wanted to give you an update for the holidays on Neville who we
adopted in July. He has settled in fabulously and Miss Moo our other
cat has come to accept she is still Queen despite his incursion on her
territory. He is a much more active cat than we first thought he'd be
as he was so laid back at the shelter. He loves to play with everything
and can be frequently found trying to crawl under any piece of clothing
or fabric left on the floor or couch (see mouse pad on head in the
photo). He has helped Miss Moo lose the last 5 pounds the vet wanted by
both getting her to exercise more and being a wee bit of a glutton at
feeding time. Thank you so much for helping us find a forever friend in
Neville and congratulations on the adoption drive and funding success
of the season.
Petra, Mitch and Charlotte |
December 7, 2008
Dear MEOW,
Merry Christmas from Seames & Shaely to the MEOW Foundation.
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Seames and Shaely having a
Christmas hug. |
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Dear MEOW,
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KC's Photo Shoot |
I
wanted to write to give you some news on Fromagio, the now almost
2-year old female brown tabby cat I adopted around February of 2008,
this year.
I have renamed her "KC", it sounds a lot like "kiss" and she can never get enough of those!
KC is a big girl, close to 14 pounds now (a tiny bit overweight by the
veterinary's standards!), tall, and very long, who had 100 pounds of
love to give. I am the lucky one who gets it ALL! She is so cute; I
find myself staring at her wondering how such little creature can be so
perfect.
She is an indoor cat; however, I do take her outside in my backyard
with a harness, pretty much everyday. The harness is actually for the
protection of other cats. KC otherwise chases after them and attacks
them, so the idea of getting another cat to keep her company was soon
forgotten! Other than that, she is just a sweetheart. At times, I joke
that I am her pet! Who knew cats had such personality!!
Anyway, I wanted to thank you for introducing me to KC. She is great
company and a joy to take care of. I have attached a collage of a few
photos I took of her over the year, bonus: she doesn't mind the camera
which is a good thing because I am a photographer!
Keep up the great work!
Kind regards,
Claire :-) |
Dear MEOW,
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Tamale and Tristan |
Just
wanted to give you an update on Tamale - Tristan decided to name him
"Austin" after one of his favorite cartoon characters.
He is doing great! He fits right in, Milo & the kids love him,
and so do we! Ollie is a bit slower to come around, but we'll get
there. He is such a love bug, he sleeps on my pillow at night so that
he can get as many snuggles as he can.
Thank-you so much, he's exactly what we needed :)
Sam |
Dear MEOW,
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Pieta and Casey Rose |
Pieta (
MEOW name Armina)
has been hinting that it’s high time I wrote to update you on her new
life and to thank you for the loving care and attention she received
during her time at the MEOW shelter.
She got off to a bit of a rocky start at our house, because in
spite of being ‘Miss Congeniality” at the shelter (in fact, when we
first saw her she was entertaining a gentleman caller kitty who was
sitting in her cage with her), our 13-year-old big foot male cat
“Paddington” was not inclined to be swept away by her charms and in
fact attacked her quite viciously a few times in the first few weeks of
her coming to live with us. Consequently, she stayed in her ‘safe room’
except for supervised visits with the family. After two months of this,
and after trying every tip about how to integrate a new cat into the
family, we were getting close to our wits end, but of course by this
time we had fallen madly in love with the little Pieta and weren’t
about to admit defeat and send her back to MEOW. We were advised to put
Paddington in a harness so that Pieta could spend more time with us
without him attacking her, and that eventually seemed to work, as well
as making sure both kitties got treats and toys and love while around
each other to create positive associations while in each other’s
company.
Three months later brought us to a serious
crisis. Our lovely 4 year old dog needed urgent major orthopaedic
surgery which meant that she would have to move into Pieta’s ‘safe
room’ as our dog had to be confined for months following a series of
surgeries. What this meant was that Pieta was going to have to be set
free to roam the house and face the evil Paddington at every turn. I
had no idea what to do next, and was so worried about our dog’s
upcoming surgery that I felt I couldn’t deal with anything more, and
just decided to leave them to it and hope for the best. It turned out
that the best was better than I could have imagined. The night before
Casey Rose’s surgery, Paddington FELL IN LOVE with little Pieta. It was
as if the ‘hate’ switch was turned off in his brain and the ‘love’
switch turned on! He began playing with her, following her everywhere,
sleeping close to her, and just generally hanging around with her
looking dreamy and content.
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Paddington and Pieta |
So
we are happy to say that we are at present a very, very happy family.
Casey Rose’s surgery went well and she is up and about, living her
doggie life. Nobody at present needs a ‘safe room’! Pieta is absolutely
OVER THE MOON about Joe (she’s a shameless flirt) and Casey Rose. She
kinda loves me too, and has forgiven Paddington his earlier bad
behaviour. She is a sweet, vivacious little thing, at times more
hummingbird than cat, as she flies up and down our three-storey house
in seconds flat! We are truly blessed to have this little girl become
part of our family.
Thank you, MEOW, for the wonderful, extraordinary job you’re doing.
My hope would be that one day people will finally GET IT and spay and
neuter their animals, as well as understand that taking an animal in is
a life-time commitment and not just a matter of convenience, thus
rendering MEOW and other animal shelters unnecessary. Kind Regards,
Marianna, Pieta, Paddington & Joe |
Dear MEOW,
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Olive Nelli |
Just wanted to send an email your way to say HI, and Thank You again
for finding me an amazing home! I've attached a few recent pictures, so
you can see just how big I've grown! This year has been full of firsts
at my new home, I had my first birthday in September, Halloween was
terrifying, and I'm looking forward to my first Christmas!
I'd like to tell you a little about myself and how my family has helped
me to grow into a wonderful Cat! When I was adopted in January, I was a
tad bit feral, and leaving my 2 sisters
Aleta & Mena (who I'm sure would make great cat companions since they are still with the MEOW Foundation)
was hard, and coming into my new home was frightening. My parents, Rob
& Jo, were very loving and bought me all sorts of new toys, and I
quickly took to playing with their older cat Oscar, who was quite
skeptical of me at first but he soon warmed up! With constant love, a
stable environment, and another cat to play with during the day, I was
soon ruling the roost, and was quite a force to be reckoned with. Since
my adoption, I've become quite an outgoing individual, and I'll try
anything once...except when the vacuum comes out. I love to play fetch
with my spongy balls, morning, noon, and all through the night. When no
one will play with me, I've been known to pile all my toys on their
master bed in protest. I have a favorite blanket, and scarf that I also
carry around the house, and when laundry day rolls around I'm always
there to help out...those bounce sheets make me feel soooo fresh! My
dad (Rob) has built Oscar and I some carpeted kitty steps up to the
bed, and is currently carpeting a homemade kitty play center for in
front of the patio door! I think I'm being rewarded for never
scratching the furniture or carpet, and never jumping up where I don't
belong. I've not met many dogs this year, but have not been to fond of
the other felines I've happened to meet, other then my buddy Oscar, I'm
very territorial of my loving parents. I love to eat...I think this is
one of my favorite past-times, although I have a strict diet, I will
however do almost anything for my favorite snack which are tiny tidbits
of cheese slices. I've noticed lately that my mom (Jo) has a "How to
make Cat Treats" book, I can't wait for these! Other favorite hobbies
and pastimes include squirrel watching, bird chirping, laser chasing,
morning kisses, playing computer with mom, and napping on the couch.
For all of you other felines at the MEOW Foundation waiting to find
your perfect family, I'd like to let you know that the day will
eventually come and if it's not tomorrow it might just be the next
day...or the next!So never lose hope, and keep on Purrin'
Olive Nelli
(MEOW name Anna Marie) |
Dear MEOW,
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Delorme |
Del
(MEOW name Delorme)
has been with me for a year now. Every day he finds a way to make me
laugh. He takes seriously his morning “job” of knocking the plug into
the tub, and moving the bath puff to the living room. I can usually
tell when he’s gotten a hold of something (before mentioned bath puff,
Q-tip, pencil etc) by his proud of himself chirping! He’s a very
trusting and thoughtful cat who’s a star at the vets and with guests.
He loves leaping around paws flailing chasing the laser light, and
amuses my condo neighbors by sticking his paw under the door and
chirping at them as musically as he can!
He’s a very
interactive and social cat. He doesn’t even really need cat beds,
because he prefers to be where people are, commenting on what they’re
doing and trying to help however he can. Ember has a wide array of
sleeping places, but comes down for a chat and petting at her leisure.
He would really like to give Ember a good bath, but so far all she
tolerates is a brief head-licking before she glares at him, or
occasional bops him on the head, much to his dismay!
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Ember |
Ember
has only been here a few months, but is definitely the queen of the
house. She believes that her food bowl should be full at all times, and
reminds me of this constantly despite the fact that Del would gobble it
up in no time. She also obviously hasn’t had wet-food in her past life.
It took some effort to convince her that it was indeed food, and she
eats a few flavors now, but only by licking them to death. She hasn’t
figured out that she can “bite” he soft food, so instead she just licks
and licks it, in the process pushing the bowl around the room, and the
food out of the bowl too. *Sigh* silly Ember.
A friend
commented that Ember only has one “word” for everything... “MREEOW!”
means any of “feed me, pet me, I like you, I want out, I want in
(enclosure on balcony), petting is nice, I’m scared.” She takes
scratching her scratching tree very seriously, and is a big fan of wand
toys.
They’re both lovely and hilarious little pets, and I’m thankful every day for their trust and affection.
Andrea Z. |
Dear MEOW,
I adopted Jak
(MEOW name Campbellton)
shortly after I had to put down Spunky, my pride and joy and love of my
life. It was hard, but after having a dream about my Aunt (who had
passed away in May) it was like my dream was a sign. In my dream my
Aunt had taken me to a house that was full of cats and my cat Spunky
was there to great me and there was a cat in my dream that looks a lot
like Jak and he rolled around in front of me and my Aunt laughed.
I told my mom after she
consitantly said no to getting another cat but once I told her about my
dream she thought it would have been like a slap in the face to my
Aunt. My Aunt passed away May 8th and we were told Jak was born early
may (strange huh?), so I made Jak's birthday the 6th between Spunky's
which was on a 4th and my Aunt's passing. I told my mom about the MEOW
Foundation and we looked and we found Jak, the minute I saw him I knew!
We finally brought him home, and he was fairly skidish for the first
week or so, and our older cat Meko avoided him as best as he could,
considering he was still depressed from losing his bestfriend Spunky.
Finally Jak stopped hiding, and now he greets me when I come home and
pokes his head through the railing when I leave.
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Jak talking to Bella |
Meko
is finally starting to come around also, it's been about 2 months and
he just started sleeping with me again, and now he lets Jak cuddle with
him in his bed by our fireplace. It is adorable. Jak has also become
fond of my rabbit Bella, who is just 7 months old, so a month older
than Jak. He cleans her head and puts his paw around her and plays with
her, however sometimes she gets pretty annoyed and hits Jak in the
head, its funny. Jak also seems to enjoy being chased by our dog Olly,
he's a little dog, basically the same size as Jak, but he chases him
all over!
Jak has a pretty interesting personality,
which isn't surprising on account that all my animals seem to have one.
In Spunky's mind he was a dog, and Meko well he just likes weird
things, and my rabbit loves cats.
Jak seems to be the opposite of a cat, simply because he loves water!
He has jumped in the bath with me before and he loves watching the
toilet when it gets flushed! Then of course there's the toilet
paper...which for some reason is always on the ground and never on the
roll! Jak's foster parent Krista, told us about him rolling around on
his back for us to pet his belly and she also told us about him loving
his Temptations..and boy does he ever! To the point where he has jumped
up on me for them!
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Jak cuddling with Meko |
The
biggest step for me with Jak is when he started sleeping with me at
night and laying on my chest or around my head, which is what Spunky
used to do. It was about 2 nights ago that he started, and he slept
with me for about an hour, I was really happy, but said at the same
time of course. But I have never been happier. I have also noticed that
my Mom has begun to hold my cats and pet them, when she never used to
do that!
I just wanted to thank Brenda for everything
also. I decided to keep Campbellton in his name and I also added Spunky
in swedish. So thank you for Jak Campbellton Modig White!
Joanna W. |
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Loki |
Dear MEOW,
Thought it was time to send you an update on Loki
(MEOW name Flamenco)!
He
is settling in well with his Rotten siblings, accepting the occasional
sloppy kiss, sharing the couch and bed, and not even running away when
they bark! He likes to be in the same room with the dogs and gets a
little cranky when the dogs are all outside. He fusses until they are
all back inside and in the same room. Then he stretches out, rolls on
his back, and watches them! I think he believes he is now the owner of
the big beasts. The dogs are very respectful and let Loki eat out of
their dishes! Nose touching is quite common and Loki wants to be where
the dogs are. No more hiding in my office!
It took
quite a while to get to this state, but was definitely worthwhile. Loki
is an affectionate, loving companion who likes to talk and cuddle. When
I retrieve my camera, I’ll get some pictures to send you.
Thanks to you and the wonderful volunteers at MEOW Foundation for rescuing Loki for me!
Lorraine L |
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Kedi relaxing on the bed |
Dear MEOW,
October 26 marks the occasion of the 2nd year anniversary of when I adopted Kedi
(MEOW name Andrea). The
significance of the two year anniversary is that she also spent 2 years
in your care before we found each other. Not many days have gone by in
the last two years when I don't think about how she waited 730 days
(and nights) for a home. You lovingly fed her and cared for her and
tried to provide a quiet foster home for her as she was traumatized by
other cats and couldn't be in the shelter. A special thank you to
Christine for the foster home.
She is, hands downs,
the sweetest girl in the world. She loves to cuddle! When I sit down to
watch TV, she immediately jumps on the coach and curls up beside me.
The ritual then goes that I scoop her up under her front legs and pull
her in close and rub her belly. She is limp in my arms, completing
trusting me with not an ounce of trepidation. She then reaches up and
rubs my glasses in appreciation of the belly rub. I often remark to her
at this point "If Meow could see you now", as she was so timid and
wouldn't come out for weeks when she first came to her new home. My how
things have changed. It took many hours of soft voices and gentle
coaxing to convince her I meant her no harm and she was safe.
She still gets her Temptations at night. She will grab them from my
hand and scoop them into her mouth if she doesn't think they are coming
fast enough. She owns the other half of the queen-size bed and has her
own pillow like a proper diva. Well, then there's the laser light show
- we've recently discovered how she goes crazy to chase the little red
laser.
I love coming home to her every night and I often wonder who rescued
whom but I bet you get that a lot. I'm so grateful that she has come
into my life.
Shy cats are not for everyone. It takes a particular kind of cat person
with a very quiet home environment for a shy cat to thrive in but my
advise is that if you are committed to the challenge, please consider
adopting a shy cat. With lots of patience, love and kindness, they are
truly worth the effort.
So a very heartfelt thank you to Meow for all the work you do.
Sincerely,
Susan F |
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Dear MEOW,
It has been just over a year since I adopted shy cats Emmy
(MEOW name Emmy Lou)
and Carly. It has been an eventful year with many firsts. I'll write up
a more extensive integration story but suffice to say that after a
month they integrated smoothly with my other 3 cats, Shadow (the
undisputed queen bee of the herd), Magellan (my big, black, 20lb baby)
and Sunny (MEOW name Snagglepuss).
Here is a short list of what we all have learned so far:
- They do not like closed doors.
- They LOVE six foot cat trees to play on.
- They do like to watch out of the windows and no longer try to climb the screens or drapes.
- Flies are the best toys EVER, followed closely by spiders, worms, feathers and leaves.
- Quack grass is almost better than catnip.
- They adore Sunny and follow him everywhere. Sunny goes nowhere without his groupies.
- Carly loves to vamp Magellan every morning by bunting him under his chin and wrapping her extra long tail around his neck.
- They LOVE being combed. I can even comb mats out from their bellies.
- Emmy loves to pull the hairs out of her wand toy and will sit with it between her paws and pull out one hair at a time.
- Emmy LOVES, LOVES, LOVES canned tuna. She no longer even looks at
Fancy Feast. She hasn't figured out what kind of movement/meow
combination produces it every Sunday but every time she hears the can
opener she keeps trying out all sorts of different moves to make it
happen.
- Carly is starting to chase tossed cat treats like Sunny does.
- Emmy is affronted with tossed cat treats since they are to be served to her in a reverent and respectful manner.
- They can't understand why Sunny likes Doritos potato chips. But they keep smelling it anyways just incase it turns into tuna.
- They love sleeping on the bed and playing with moving toes under the covers.
- Emmy still does not understand why she can't sit in the middle of
the dining room table while you are eating with guests. For that matter
neither can Sunny.
- Shadow is a wonderful sleeping partner. Frequently I'll find all
three girls together in one bed with the boys in separate beds next to
them.
- Sunny does not cuddle.
Cat Pile Sunny and his Groupies
Compared with the first month where Emmy hissed constantly at us and
Carly constantly hid from us this list is quite an achievement.
Adopting shy cats means you have to be more patient and give them space
to adjust. However the rewards are much more noticeable and there is
something new every day. These two are a pleasure to have living with
us.
Tamara and Bill (and Shadow, Magellan and Sunny) |
Dear MEOW,
About 3 months ago you helped us find our new cat Chauncey
(MEOW name McCoy).
I wanted to let you know that he is doing so very well. He has eaten
everything within a 50 mile radius of our fridge so he has gained quite
a bit a weight. Our vet assures us that he isn’t too heavy tho’. He is
getting along great with our other 2 cats and our dog and he loves to
chase them at all hours of the night. He has adjusted much more quickly
than we ever expected and he has claimed our son as his new best buddy.
His new favourite place to hang out is in our laundry room. He will
sleep for hours in the clothes hamper or in with the clean clothes if
we happen to leave them out.
We want to thank MEOW
Foundation for all your help. We couldn’t possibly be happier with our
new family member. I have attached a couple of recent pics for you to
see.
Thank you again for all your help,
Roben G |
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Fuzzy |
Dear MEOW,
Fuzzy
(MEOW name Glenn) has
been a great addition to our family, he accepted our new baby (a 3
month old kitten named Dexter, who we rescued from the Calgary Humane
Society) without any fuss at all. He also comforted me after we had to
have Sassy put to sleep in April 2008.
He is our best
friend and we consider him our family There is nothing we wouldn't do
for him. Which brings me to the reason for this letter.
In September, Fuzzy went to the vet for a check up and the doctor found
a broken fang. We wanted to get it fixed for him, so we did the routine
bloodwork on him before he was put out for the procedure. Fuzzy's
bloodwork came back abnormal. It showed that Fuzzy had something wrong
with his kidneys...which after an ultrasound was revealed that both of
his kidneys are abnormal. The specialist explained to us that it is
likely an inherited condition.
He is now living with 2/3 kidney function. He is doing pretty good
right now, he handles things really well. I give him 1 pill every
night, and he also gets sub q fluids twice a week to help his kidneys
rid his body of toxins. He actually purrs while he gets his needle
(because he knows he gets TONS of treats!). I totally believe 100% that
we were meant to get Fuzzy so that he would have someone to take care
of him through this illness.
It was hard for me to accept in the beginning, there were alot of
tears, but I soon realized that Fuzzy needs me to be positive for him.
I realized that he will feel my mood and it would make him sad, so I
resolved to be happy for him. His doctors gave him 3-5 years before his
kidneys really start getting bad...and about 8 years total. I intend to
enjoy every minute with him. I will love this cat until the day I die,
and I will never forget that it was MEOW that brought him to us.
Our deepest thanks to everyone at MEOW once again.
Lindsay & Fuzzy |
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Sir Picollo |
Dear MEOW,
The time has certainly flown by since I
adopted Picollo. it has been 4 months. He has grown into a very
distinquished cat with a lustrous coat and sparkling affectionate eyes!
He is very affectionate and cuddly, his favourite
catism is to stroke my
cheek with his paw. He has gained weight and loves to play with an
assortment of bell balls or feathers on a string.
As some of you may recall PICOLLO was not the handsomest fellow on
the block but with time has developed a most captivating appearance and
personality!! He is a terrific talker, too he has discovered his" MEOW"
(a deep meow vs a squeak meow).
Thanks Kathy for all of your attention.
Joanne S |
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Pop |
Dear MEOW,
Pop - 1st month - Poor pop stayed under the bed for the first month but
good old Sniffy just kept at him until he started to slowly come out
the 2nd month.
Now - Pop loves his treats and I shamefully use them to get him to do things, we are all amazed in the change in him.
I feed the squirrels outside and he sits at the door and chatters to
them, he gets up on the bed regularly and lounges like a king there. I
bought a fishing toy and he goes nuts, I could tell this exercise was
very good for him because he is so much more active, he is absolutely
in love with Sniffy, and her with him. She flirts with him and even
though they are both fixed, Pop tries to, how can I put this
delicately, have relations with her. He bites her neck and she screams
as though she is being killed, but she flirts with him like crazy.
My mom was over the other day as well as my son, and Pop was right in
the middle of it, surprisingly he loves company and was playing with my
mom's feet. Pop is out of his shell, he still will not let me pet him
but he swats at me very gently, I will be patient, but it really
doesn't matter because I can tell he is happy and relaxed, he lets me
sit next to him and does not move when I walk very close to him. I am
thrilled with his progress and he is very loved by every one who comes
over. Pop actually loves all the attention he is getting.
My mom took pictures of the two of them so as soon as she gets them developed I will drop them off or mail them to you.
Thank you for Pop, I love him dearly.
Lise |
Dear MEOW,
I just wanted to send a quick update. Little Ripley
(MEOW name Dorito)
is doing great! She gets along with her big sister Gabby very well.
They play fight one minute then curl up for a nap together the next.
Ripley is very loving, full of fun and cheeky as anything! I am
thankful every day that I adopted that little black ball of fur with an
orange dot on her forehead!
Cheers,
Jill |
September 29, 2008
Dear MEOW,
I wanted to thank all of you, especially my
Adoption Coordinator Brenda, for making my adoption of the orange tabby
you named Trace happen! Brenda and I finalized the adoption yesterday
so it's been pretty much exactly a month since you've seen him. He's
settled in very nicely and is now named Dante - he didn't answer to
Trace at all, which wasn't very surprisingly because I imagine when he
was living in a room with many other cats he heard lots of names every
day!
He is very happy here, still a talkative guy when he chooses to be,
especially at feeding times, but also pretty relaxed and mellow. He's
not a big fan of being on my lap or being picked up for long amounts of
time yet, but if I'm sitting on the couch or even on the floor leaning
against the couch, watching tv or reading, I'll often look down and see
that he has quietly settled in right next to me so that his back is
touching my leg. He's definitely an affectionate dude and it won't
surprise me if he turns around and suddenly decides he's a lap cat at
some point in time.
I wouldn't consider this an official "Dear MEOW" statement but I will
send you guys one of those in a few months once Dante and I have really
truly settled into life together.
But I wanted to let you know that he's doing great and that I am so
appreciative of all the work you all do to make sure these cats are
safe and happy until they find the right home.
Attached is a picture, he loves his toys and play time too, as shown in
the picture. Could he look more proud for dismantling that toy? :-)
Thanks again,
Jocelyn H |
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Dear MEOW,
It's Hobe and Molly
(MEOW name Kanake),
and it's been a year now since our adoption! Where did the first year
go! It really did feel like home as soon as I (Hobe) arrived and I made
a point of checking out each and every nook and cranny and then I
plopped right down on the master bed, stretched out and fell asleep
with my new people friends. Now, I love to spend endless hours in my
new cat tree by the window, getting my cheeks scratched and even
spending some time on my leash outside - and of course chasing Molly
around or just sitting and watching her. Oh, and I still manage to hog
the bed every night.
Molly has warmed up to me though
she sure can let out a loud hiss every now and then when she's had
enough of me - I can be quite persistent in my chasing her. But I know
she likes it because sometimes she chases me first. She sure likes
playing with her toy mice, hanging out in the window and sleeping on
the bed - so yep, I have to share the bed with the whole family now!
She's quite affectionate with the people folks too and is always
stealing lap time!
Anyway, I wanted to thank Kathy (our adoption coordinator) and all of
you for taking care of us and helping me and Molly find a home where I
know we'll be forever happy. You've done such a great thing for us and
I know you've also made our whole family a whole lot happier as well!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Hobe, Molly, Elaine and Kevin |
 |
|
Neville |
Dear MEOW,
Neville and Moo are getting more used to each other. Her reaction is
to mostly ignore him and occasionally remind him of his place with a
short hiss. He has developed the habit of lying on the floor and slowly
creeping towards her until she gets fed up and moves. All in all it's
going well.
We had to skip the step with Neville in the carrier as he really
does not like the carrier and will attack the door and yowl at the top
of his lungs until you let him out. Funny enough this is Moo's reaction
to the carrier too, so we did alot more room swapping this time!
Neville turns out to be another talker and the biggest suck ever. And
for some reason he has an issue with bath mats. He vigorously attacks
it as though his life depends on it, its quite funny to watch.
I'll be sending photos soon!
Petra |
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Dear MEOW,
Here are a couple of photos of Shayna, bless her little
buttons! She's settled in nicely; talks to me, washes my face and
cuddles up with my husband and myself. We'll send some more photos when
we can get her to quit coming to check out the camera, lol.
I looked up her name and it comes from the Hebrew, meaning "beautiful."
Even with her little frostbitten ears, she is beautiful! I'm so glad
she chose us.
Wendie |
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Dear MEOW,
Loki
(MEOW name Flamenco)
loves his new kitty perch! He is such a loving little guy, I know I
will never give him up now. He is slowly getting use to the dogs. The
females don’t bother him much and everyone takes awhile to get use to
Willy, the male!
Loki enjoying his new bird's eye view
Thanks for all the great work you guys do. And thank you especially
for looking after Loki and giving him a second chance. I will love him
forever!
Lorraine L |
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Dear MEOW,
So I just thought I would send you some pics of the cats, they seem to be getting along quite well.
Everything is great:)
Bluff and Angel Soft cuddling Bluff and Angel Soft on the bed
Jenn |
Dear MEOW,
It has been just over 4 months now that we have had Sophie
(MEOW name Checkers) in our home and she has been nothing short of amazing.
Having been a very "shy" cat at the Shelter, our expectations of her
were to just accept her as she was. We gave her a nice "safe room" and
expected her to be there for awhile. Didn't happen quite the way we
expected. Within a few weeks she was crying so bad we had to let her
out. Once out, she strutted around like she owned the place. She never
went back to her "safe room" again.
Now that she was out, she had to establish herself with 3 other cats
and a big dog. Once Emma (Former Shy Meow cat Eureka) let her know who
the boss was, she settled in beautifully. Emma is our "Little Sargent".
She was not the least bit afraid of the dog. If the dog was in her way,
she walked right underneath her.
As brave as she appeared, she would still not let us touch her. She was
always close, but no touching. A couple of weeks ago, I started to get
in a few quick pets as she was eating. She didn't like it too much but
didn't hate it either. Last week she quit running from me and would
allow a few quick pets. This week, I can pet her from head to the tip
of her tail and she LOVES it. She even lets me rub her behind her ears.
I still have to go to her but when I get that first pet in she keeps
coming back for more. It's very exciting when you finally break through
and get in those very first pets. At this point, I am the only one she
allows to touch her.
She loves Misty and chases her all over the house. When she runs, she
kicks her back legs out just like a bunny. It's so cute. She is a very
happy little girl.
Once again we adopted a "Shy" cat that had been at the Shelter for over
2 years and once again we are so happy with our choice. These Shy guys
aren't for everyone but it's too bad they get overlooked so much. With
a little patience, love and understanding, they make wonderful pets and
great companion cats. It is also the ultimate of rewarding to be part
of their amazing progress.
Thanks again to everyone at MEOW for rescuing these Shy cats and giving
them a chance to finally have a nice life that they so deserve!
Here is a picture of Emma and Sophie having their afternoon nap. I'm sure Emma told her exactly where to lay!
Bye for now,
Sophie's Forever Home |
I am so very happy that I have adopted Rosita and Sabre. Thank you for
giving me the opportunity to foster-to-adopt two lovely cats. Rosita
was in her foster home for eight months before I foster-to-adopted her
and Sabre was in the cat shelter before I foster-to-adopted him. They
both will bring happiness and joy to my life for many years. I love
them both.
Rosita and Sabre
Sincerely,
Maria |
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Dear MEOW,
I thought I’d give you a quick update on Alegria
(MEOW name Honey Bear) and Oswald
(MEOW name Verdi).
It’s been a year since I brought Alegria home. Although it wasn’t love
at first sight, after a lot of hissing Oswald decided that he could
live with another cat in the house. Alegria adores Oswald and follows
him around. She especially likes to chase his big fluffy tail. She
still does not like to be held but she will meow at me when I go to
sleep at night then curl up on the bed beside me and purr. When I bring
out a brush she will jump onto my lap. Oswald is still king of the
castle. He seems to like having a playmate and they will often wake me
up in the morning because they are chasing each other around the house.
Thank you again for all of your help when I adopted them.
Lynn |
Dear MEOW,
I adopted a feral cat named Kinsella
(still his MEOW name) from the MEOW Foundation in September of 2006.
This update is long overdue, but I wanted so share Kinsella's amazing
progress!
I decided to get Kinsella to befriend my cat Georgia who was home alone
far too often while I was working long hours. (With many cats, this
would be totally acceptable, but Georgia is a very social creature and
soaks up every ounce of affection she can find). When Kinsella was
brought into our home, he was ushered into his own private room where
he would live for the couple weeks while he grew used to/was integrated
into his new home. The first night he was so scared that we couldn't
get him to come out of his transport carrier. When he finally did, he
went racing up onto the window ledge where he crouched in the corner. I
left him be and went to bed. When I came back the next morning (several
hours later) the poor little guy was still crouched in the exact same
position! He had not moved a muscle.
For the first couple of weeks I would lay beside the bed and talk to
Kinsella in a quiet voice, or just sit silently in the room and read,
in order for him to grow more comfortable with me. There was no
touching him yet; he was far too scared for this. I began to leave the
door to his room open enough that he could come out and explore the
rest of the house if he wanted to, and slowly but surely he ventured
out. (Georgia wasn't too sure what to think of all this. I don't think
she could understand why this other cat was so scared). Kinsella
graduated to hiding under the bed in the master bedroom and after the
lights went out each night he would sneak out to the kitchen for food
and water and to do a little exploring. For the most part he was an
unseen presence in our home. I continued to lay beside the bed each day
for several more weeks, talking to him, and we started to have
breakthrough about week 7 when he allowed me to touch him with a cat
toy wand. He was still too afraid to let me touch him with my hand, but
he sure loved that wand and it didn't take long before I was able to
start touching him with my fingers. I would say it took about a total
of 9-10 weeks before he allowed me to actually pet him.
Fast forward almost 2 years. We have moved to Toronto. Kinsella and
Georgia have become faithful cuddling pals and love to lust after the
pigeons and other pesky creatures that land on our balcony and taunt
them. They are indoor cats only, and I think the word has gotten out
among the pesky creature community. Kinsella loves to hide away in his
cat tree most days and sleep the day away, but he is a love machine at
night and it is hard to get him to stop looking for attention. He loves
to be pet and if the cat brush is anywhere in sight, he is there. (He
doesn't hesitate to barge right in on Georgia's brushing session and
this doesn't go over very well!) Kinsella is still quite hesitant to
allow others to touch him and generally if there is a stranger in the
house, he usually keeps himself hidden, but Georgia more than makes up
for his lack of confidence, so this is a good thing.
Here are a few pictures of the happy "couple"... (Kinsella is the black cat, Georgia the chubby tortie)
Thank-you MEOW Foundation for the great work you are doing in rescuing
and sheltering these cats, and educating their adopters.
All the best,
Roxanne |
 |
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Mika |
Dear MEOW,
I adopted Mika from the MEOW Foundation just over two years ago and
thought you might be interested in how she is coming along.
As you probably know, Mika is a "shy" cat and while I am still not able
to pet her she really has taken over my condominium and makes herself
at home almost every place a cat can find to sleep and she gets along
really well with Miss Clio my older cat. She also has NEVER met a meal
she didn't like!!!!
She has been such a joy to watch overcome her shyness even if she still resists my overtures to pet her.
Regards and thanks to the MEOW volunteers for everything.
Patrick |
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