Furry Friday
Story: I dramatically misread a human this week, or I could have been a bit more helpful. I drove out to the east metro to replace a bad pc. The pc desk in the exam room was crowded because a group of young visitors were there getting a nice tour and demonstration. I stood out of the way to wait until they finished.
Someone had a young cat on the exam table and was showing everyone how we give animals their id microchip. (No actual insertion was involved, just mimicking of the process.) I noticed one youngling acting strange, so I started watching that human instead of the cat. I was thinking maybe zhey was "just like me", so I thought nothing of it when zhey turned aside to face the wall alone. Yep, just like me as a kid. When zhey seemed to trip and fall, again I thought "just like me", none too graceful or coordinated.
My mistake. Nearby adults got involved, and that's when I came to realize that the poor little one had fainted after succumbing to all the unfamiliar sounds and smells and ideas. I've fainted before, and I remembered that when my mind is out of phase, a drink of very cold water helps to snap my attention back into focus as the sense of coldness travels down through my body. So I went on a hunt for iced water. It took a while, and it was a small adventure to wash a cup clean and gather the ice while in an unfamiliar building, but I finally got it to the adults and child. I hope it was useful to them, even if it was rather late to arrive.
Animals: I've found a natural lap cat. Sophie is a bit of a runt, somewhat on the small side for 1 year of age. This spayed female is a shorthair mix with fur that is mostly white. Very friendly and with a loud purr, Sophie will make a great companion for a person of any age that's looking for a close friend. I've never seen zhem hissy with the other cats in the colony room. More the reverse, actually, I've seen Sophie reach out slowly with a paw trying to touch another cat on the shoulder.
In the same colony room, Puma was actually the first animal to approach me and climb to my lap when I sat down. What I noticed right away was the very soft fur. Around the shoulders, the black fur is as silky as a rabbit's. This middle-aged (5.2 years) female is pleasantly friendly with humans but has some issues around other animals. The paperwork cautions specifically about sharing space with dogs. Even in the colony room, however, Puma dislikes having other cats approach too closely. Not one to actively seek out trouble, Puma will still get hissy if anyone else crosses into zheir personal space. I think Puma should go to a home where there are no other animals to require sharing food bowls or the adoration of humans.
As of this writing, Sophie and Puma are both available for visitation and adoption at our Golden Valley facility.
How You Can Help: I ran across another story at work this week about a cat brought to us after zheir owners moved away and just abandoned zhem outside the door to the apartment complex. I think it was a neighbor who brought the cat to us. Please, if you see domesticated animals without a human caretaker, take just a little time to exercise some responsibility yourself.
It doesn't mean that you have to take the animal into your home. Cities in warmer climates have spay-then-release programs that would be good for roaming critters. Here in the frozen north, however, you'll probably need to bring the abandoned animal to your nearest shelter system. Bring animals in sooner rather than later. Healthy and friendly animals have a better chance at placement than injured, ill, or ill-tempered street fighters. When freezing weather arrives, I start seeing animals on our adoption floor with missing ear bits and tail bits... I assume from frost bite. It makes me wonder about the other animals that didn't survive the harsh lesson of winter.
Someone had a young cat on the exam table and was showing everyone how we give animals their id microchip. (No actual insertion was involved, just mimicking of the process.) I noticed one youngling acting strange, so I started watching that human instead of the cat. I was thinking maybe zhey was "just like me", so I thought nothing of it when zhey turned aside to face the wall alone. Yep, just like me as a kid. When zhey seemed to trip and fall, again I thought "just like me", none too graceful or coordinated.
My mistake. Nearby adults got involved, and that's when I came to realize that the poor little one had fainted after succumbing to all the unfamiliar sounds and smells and ideas. I've fainted before, and I remembered that when my mind is out of phase, a drink of very cold water helps to snap my attention back into focus as the sense of coldness travels down through my body. So I went on a hunt for iced water. It took a while, and it was a small adventure to wash a cup clean and gather the ice while in an unfamiliar building, but I finally got it to the adults and child. I hope it was useful to them, even if it was rather late to arrive.
Animals: I've found a natural lap cat. Sophie is a bit of a runt, somewhat on the small side for 1 year of age. This spayed female is a shorthair mix with fur that is mostly white. Very friendly and with a loud purr, Sophie will make a great companion for a person of any age that's looking for a close friend. I've never seen zhem hissy with the other cats in the colony room. More the reverse, actually, I've seen Sophie reach out slowly with a paw trying to touch another cat on the shoulder.
In the same colony room, Puma was actually the first animal to approach me and climb to my lap when I sat down. What I noticed right away was the very soft fur. Around the shoulders, the black fur is as silky as a rabbit's. This middle-aged (5.2 years) female is pleasantly friendly with humans but has some issues around other animals. The paperwork cautions specifically about sharing space with dogs. Even in the colony room, however, Puma dislikes having other cats approach too closely. Not one to actively seek out trouble, Puma will still get hissy if anyone else crosses into zheir personal space. I think Puma should go to a home where there are no other animals to require sharing food bowls or the adoration of humans.
As of this writing, Sophie and Puma are both available for visitation and adoption at our Golden Valley facility.
How You Can Help: I ran across another story at work this week about a cat brought to us after zheir owners moved away and just abandoned zhem outside the door to the apartment complex. I think it was a neighbor who brought the cat to us. Please, if you see domesticated animals without a human caretaker, take just a little time to exercise some responsibility yourself.
It doesn't mean that you have to take the animal into your home. Cities in warmer climates have spay-then-release programs that would be good for roaming critters. Here in the frozen north, however, you'll probably need to bring the abandoned animal to your nearest shelter system. Bring animals in sooner rather than later. Healthy and friendly animals have a better chance at placement than injured, ill, or ill-tempered street fighters. When freezing weather arrives, I start seeing animals on our adoption floor with missing ear bits and tail bits... I assume from frost bite. It makes me wonder about the other animals that didn't survive the harsh lesson of winter.