There was sadness in the eyes of the soft-spoken young man as he placed the carrier on the counter. Close to his side, his 3-year-old daughter, in a ruffled dress and lace-trimmed stockings, watched quietly. The man explained that they had lost their home and would be temporarily living in the family car. Knowing their 9-year-old cat would not do well with this, they had agreed to surrender Razzy to allow him a safer future.
During Razzy’s intake, the man smiled as he talked about his big personality, his likes and dislikes. Someone asked dad if we could let his little girl pick out some cookies and treats from our snack table. Her eyes lit up. While she placed sweet treats in a small brown bag, the staff and volunteers secretly passed an envelope, collecting their own gift cards and cash, a treat for dad to discover later, to help on this new journey.
Razzy went into foster care, to wait to be chosen. Although FIV positive, overall, he’s a big, healthy character, talkative and curious. He likes windows and enjoys canned food. He will sit on a lap or allow being held on his terms and will express his opinion about that when he’s over it.
After his foster mom got to know him, she knew he was there to stay, the King of his new Castle.
Razzy’s story reminds us how a little bit of kindness can have a huge impact.
Cats like Razzy, who come to us with a tale to tell, inspire us every day to remain committed to our motto, “all nine lives are precious.”
Please consider a gift to MEOW on #GivingTuesday, December 3rd.
Madge was a stray, brought to us by a good Samaritan. She was emaciated, critically dehydrated and was found to be severely hyperthyroid, with high blood pressure, an ulcerated mass on the base of her right ear, an ear infection and stage 3-4 (out of 4) dental disease.
After several weeks of supportive care and medications, she became stable enough to receive Radioactive Iodine (I-131) Therapy for treatment of hyperthyroidism. She did very well. Though she still has a ways to go and further treatment for her other issues, she is getting stronger every day and we hope will soon be healthy enough to find her forever home.
Madge’s story shows us what perseverance is and reminds us how far a bit of patience and empathy can go.
This sweet girl thrives on attention and pets. Her voice is powerful and sweetly raspy, and she uses it frequently to remind us that she has a story to tell us about the life she has led.
We do not shy away from sick, elderly, or special needs animals. Although they may require more from us and take a bit longer to find their forever home, each life is precious to us.
Cats like Madge, who come to us with a tale to tell, inspire us every day to remain committed to our motto, “all nine lives are precious.”
Please consider a gift to MEOW on #GivingTuesday, December 3rd.
This year for #GivingTuesday, to celebrate an amazing year of soft landings and new beginnings, we are sharing the stories behind the faces that inspire our staff, volunteers, veterinary partners, adopters, and supporters to keep doing the impossible.
We are inspired, every day, by the cast of characters who come through our doors. Each day we recommit ourselves to something we truly believe in, our motto, “all nine lives are precious.”
Cats like 12-year-old Madge, who come to us with a tale to tell and remind us of the importance of perseverance. Madge was a stray, brought to us by a good Samaritan. After several weeks of supportive care and medications, she became stable enough for necessary thyroid treatment. Though she still has a ways to go, she is looking better every day and we hope will soon be strong enough to find her forever home. Madge has a powerful and sweetly raspy voice, which she uses frequently to remind us that she has a story to tell about the life she has led.
Last year our amazing supporters raised over $60,000, which helped sustain our Ninth Life and Public Spay/Neuter Voucher programs, our Mercy Fund, and the daily needs of the animals in our care.
Throughout the day on December 3rd, we will be providing updates on donation matches available and amounts raised, as well as sharing stories on Facebook and Instagram to celebrate the faces that inspire us.
Our annual Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale will once again be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church at 105 State St. S. in Kirkland, just up the road from the shelter. As always, we’ll have beautiful, handcrafted items and delicious baked goods for sale, generously donated by our volunteers and supporters. There will also be fun raffle drawings. Pet beds and toys, decor, knitted wear, quilts, jewelry, and seasonal items are just a few of the wonderful things we’ll have available. Bring a pet food or human food item to donate and support MEOW’s and St John’s Little Pantries. MEOW’s Holiday Bazaar is a wonderful opportunity to find one-of-a-kind gifts, support MEOW, and catch up with other MEOW folk. We hope you will stop and shop.
Directions to St. John’s Episcopal Church
105 State St. S. Kirkland, 98033
PHOTOS WITH SANTA
Commemorate this holiday season and support the animals of MEOW with a picture of your pet, your children, (and you?) with Santa. For a $20 donation you will receive a printed photo on site and access to online digital images. Safety first, so pets must be restrained, either on a leash or in a carrier. Many thanks to Mud Bay, Ladd & Lass Brewing and Seattle Veterinary Associates, for supporting Santa photos again this year. You can be a Santa too, by bringing your pet food donations for MEOW’s Little Pet Pantry, which asks visitors to “Give what you can ~ Take what you need”.
Larissa and Jackson are 2-year-old, bonded siblings. They are extremely connected to each other, rely on one another for comfort and companionship, and are generally found snuggling together. They grew up and have lived their lives in an environment with several other cats and not a lot of human contact.
As you might expect then, they are uncertain about new situations and are fearful of new people. These two kitties are very sweet, but the truth is, they may never relax completely around humans and may ultimately prefer to hang with your other cats and not you.
We truly believe that these two ebony beauties deserve a quiet home where they can feel safe, eat well, enjoy naps and snuggling, even if they prefer not to interact much with their humans.
If you have room in your home and your heart for these two kitties and can accept that, while they will befriend your other cat, they may never show you the affection you deserve, please consider meeting them.
We all know that the holiday season is often a very stressful time for us. It is also important to recognize that it can be a very stressful time for our cats. Inappropriate urination, when there is no medical cause, can sometimes be attributed to stress.
Here are a few hints to help keep your kitty as stress free as possible, and hopefully keep your household safe and healthy:
• Avoid giving her people food which could cause stomach upset. • If you have visitors, make sure she has a quiet place in which to retreat and that her litter box is also in a quiet, easy to access place • Be extra vigilant about keeping the litterbox free of lumps and poo, by scooping the litterbox frequently. • Make sure your guests know that you have a cat and to be careful when entering and leaving to keep her from slipping outdoors.
The holidays are a joyous time, made even more special when shared with friends, family and our fur babies. Some extra care and attention will help ensure that everyone enjoys the season.
This is Opal’s mama, Jane, providing some overdue updates on our beautiful girl Opal. We adopted Opal from MEOW back in April of 2022, and the past 2 1/2 years with her have been some of the best.
When we first brought Opal into our home, she was extremely anxious and weary of us. Coming from a large colony and not a home, we knew we had to be very patient and build our trust with her over time. She didn’t come out of hiding for a month!
But surely enough, she has grown into the most affectionate, loving, and hilarious cat. She is full of personality and isn’t afraid to show it (also not afraid to tell us when she’s hungry)! She loves her play time (specifically with rat toys and balls), and always has so much energy.
Our love for her has just grown exponentially every minute that we spend with her. When we are home, she does not want to leave our side 🙂. Not to mention, her beautiful eyes are a show stopper. She is just purrrfect!
We are so grateful to the MEOW Team and for everything that they do. We cannot recommend them enough if you are looking to adopt in the Greater Seattle Area.
Thank you for changing our lives! We cannot express enough gratitude for your organization.
This is Hunter and Riley giving you some updates on the adorable Zoltan (who we have renamed Bigz). We named Bigz after the Sonic character, Big the Cat, and added the Z as a homage to his shelter name!
Bigz is still the sweetest boy! He might have been more relaxed at MEOW but he has become the most spunky little guy. He loves playing with toys (especially his pink ball) and is an absolute foodie. His favorite time of day is meal time which I’m sure is no surprise. He loves to sleep right next to his parents faces (almost suffocating them sometimes 😂) and get lots of cuddle time.
We’re so thankful that we found Bigz and were able to give him a home that has brought out so much personality!
I am so happy I adopted Puma. When I came to the shelter it was hard to tell her exact personality, but you could easily tell she was a fellow introvert like me. Our personalities match perfectly.
We snuggle all the time and I’m so happy I could provide her with a good comfortable life, she deserves it. She loves her salmon and tuna dinners and is constantly purring with every bit of affection.
She is my first kitty and I couldn’t have asked for a better cat. I’m savoring all my time with her as she really is the perfect cat.
She had a couple of injuries from her past life, but she had healed so well at MEOW; now all she needs is checkups!
You can tell she is such a strong and independent cat but will still always be a teddy bear at heart. Thank you to the staff at MEOW for introducing me to my bestie Puma (Especially Faith, you’re the best.)
My name is Megan and I adopted Doc Hudson (renamed Chandler) from MEOW Cat Rescue in September 2012. After 12 wonderful years together, he peacefully passed away on Monday at 17 years young. I had my vet come to the house so he’d be comfortable, and he was in his favorite place – on my lap.
I was 24 years old when my sister and I adopted him (we were roommates in Seattle). For both of us, he was our first pet, and was an amazing addition to our lives from day one.
After about three years, my sister and I split up as roommates. Chandler and I had developed a really strong bond, so he came with me! Over the years, he’s lived with me in four apartments in Greenlake, a condo in Ballard, a house in Sunset Hill, and now in a house in Bothell.
The last 12 years have been filled with change, which is natural at this age. He’s been my constant, and has made my house feel like a home. He was my rock through many tough years, including my mom’s cancer (she’s thankfully in remission now), and was my quarantine buddy during the pandemic (and my nurse when I had COVID myself).
On a lighter side, he’s been so loved not only by me, but by my family, my friends, and my coworkers. When we all started working from home, he’d sit on my lap while I worked and became the unofficial mascot of my team because he’d be on my lap and on camera for pretty much every Zoom call!
He was such a special little guy, and has made such an impact on my life. It has been the hardest of goodbyes, and I’m so grateful to have gotten so much time with him.
I’ve attached some photos of him living the good life throughout the years. The one of he and I on the floor was from the first day I took him home 💚
Thank you for everything, Megan
Original Post – March 11, 2013
Hello,
My sister and I adopted Doc Hudson, now named Chandler, from MEOW back in September and have been meaning to write for a while now.
From the first day we got Chandler he has been right at home in our apartment. He loves playing with wand toys or chasing a ball, and curls up on our laps when he needs a catnap. Our apartment is above an intersection, and Chandler loves perching on the back of the couch by the window and watching all the action.
He is a social butterfly! Friends who come over always comment how friendly and outgoing Chandler is compared to other cats. He will jump up and plop himself down on anyone’s lap. We are so happy with Chandler, and have recommended MEOW to any friends looking for a cat. Keep up the good work!
The last 48 hours have been amazing and you have been amazingly generous. As we say goodnight and put GiveBIG 2024 to bed, we are awed and ever so grateful for your belief in what we do and our ability to take action due to your compassion.
Our GiveBIG 2024 total stands at $48,100, which means we’ll continue to be able to provide a soft place to land, a place to heal, a place to thrive, and hope of a day where no companion animal suffers abuse or is homeless.
From all of us, for all of them, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We consider ourselves so fortunate to be part of such a compassionate community. As of 12 PM, you, our supporters, have raised $32,000. We are so grateful for this support and believe that we have a role to play, to support our community, in the journey to end companion animal homelessness that extends beyond rescuing and placing animals for adoption.
Public Spay/Neuter Voucher Program
We strongly believe that spay/neuter is the way to end companion animal homelessness. Since 2011, we have offered free public spay/neuter vouchers, redeemable at several regional non-profit clinics, to low-income families in need of support to do the right thing for their pets.
Western Washington has a lower euthanasia rate than many other areas, so grant funds for spay/neuter, when available, are usually distributed elsewhere. But, based on the number of requests we receive daily, there is a still a serious need.
This was exacerbated by the pandemic, during which clinics were not allowed to perform elective surgeries so that the surgical equipment could be spared for human hospitals. A tremendous backlog resulted.
I was looking to adopt a cat because I have a pet sitting job where I go watch other people’s animals at their houses… And I felt that a cat would be a good fit. When I looked at the website, I saw the cat that was badly burnt, and his physical wound had healed, but wanted to provide a safe place where he can emotionally heal.
When I had called MEOW, they had informed me that the foster family had just adopted him the day before. So I inquired further, and I asked who had been there the longest or who is a senior. They instructed me to look at the website and told me about Lenny.
Right away I felt a connection. I knew that I could provide him a safe environment where he could feel safe and loved. I went to a meet and greet, and he greeted me at the door of his suite. I sat down and didn’t leave there until the adoption papers were filled out.
Somebody asked me if I wanted to see other cats because it was kind of like dating… I replied that there was no need that I had found my one.
The first 24 hours he stayed in the bedroom, and then 12 hours after that he stayed under my bed, I slowly opened the door to allow him to explore the rest of the apartment, his apartment. Very quickly he acclimated to his surroundings, including giving me lots of snuggles and permissions with a soft paw touch for head pets.
His appetite is amazing, and aside from a couple of hiccups, he knows that I am his person and that this is his home. I am so grateful to MEOW for facilitating this match made in heaven.
