Right now we have an adorable litter of six kittens that we are holding while their foster mother was out of town. She is picking them up tonight so that they can continue to thrive and get big enough to be adopted.Another cat is living temporarily in our adoption manager's office because he has some health issues that haven't completely cleared up. He is making himself thoroughly at home and giving our shelter mascot cat Brutus serious competition in the congeniality department.
Rocky, a goofy Labrador-Sharpei mix is recovering from having most of his tail amputated. He is such a happy guy that he whacked his tail against things so much that he severely damaged it, and the vet recommended removing the whacking part. Rocky is recovering beautifully and still wags his very short tail just as much as he did before. He is eight years old and large so maybe that's why no visitors have noticed his charming personality. Our Education Room is being decorated for a child's birthday party. The five-to-eight-year-old party guests will a tour of the shelter. Sometimes the birthday child asks for gifts for the shelter animals instead of for him or herself.
In winter the number of animals coming into the shelter usually decreases, and our kennel staff gets a much deserved breather from working nonstop to care for over 200 animals each day. In particular, the number of cats coming into the shelter is less in the winter as cats reproduce primarily in the late spring and summer. Instead of having over 100 cats as we do in the summer, today we have 53. In winter older cats have a better chance of catching visitors' attention because our cat room isn't as full of cute kittens.
If anyone thinks that living in urban/suburban Arlington means they won't encounter wildlife, that theory was disproved today when a neighbor e-mailed us a photo of a hawk gripping a pigeon that it had just killed on their back fence.
4 comments:
Poor Rocky. Too bad for his tail but it's good to know that he is happy even without it!
He's probably happier since he isn't hurting his tail anymore!
Ahhh. Kittens. I know who's the mama of those babies! I have a couple of my own, holding out. I think I may have them until March. They are finally growing, so I am hopeful! I hope some other folks read this blog, and decide to become foster families. It is very rewarding work. And if you have been one of the people that say, "I love kittens, but they grow up to be cats, and I don't want a cat" well, here's your chance! : )
That is sweet that a child's birthday party is being held at the shelter. I hope the animals enjoy the visitors!
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