It is hard to believe that it has been nearly a year ago that two of our special kittens, Chance and Hope were adopted.  You may remember Chance and Hope.  They, along with their sister Destiny, were born with a congenital deformity called eyelid agenesis (the incomplete formation of the eyelids).  Before adoption, they had two surgeries called cryosurgery and are doing just great! 
 
This is what their new family has to say:
 
We adopted Chance and Hope almost a year ago this May.  I was a little nervous when first adopting them since they were born with 60-80% of their eyelids missing and had undergone two surgeries.  My worries were put to rest once we brought them home.  Chance and Hope only require lubricating eye ointment once a day.  It is easy to do, and they are used to it.  Both cats love to play with their toys and chase each other around the house.  My kids absolutely adore Chance and Hope and tell their friends how cute they are on a regular basis.  Both cats like to be close by and often nap in their boxes right next to me while I am using my computer, or sit near my husband while he is working downstairs.   Hope and Chance are very affectionate and enjoy being petted on a regular basis.  Hope likes to sit on laps, and Chance likes to sit right next to you.  Chance will even let the kids carrying him around the house.  We are so glad that Chance and Hope are a part of our lives!
 
Thank you!
 
Karen, Michael, Eli and Sammy

Hello.  I wanted to write and tell you how much we love having Katie in our home.  We adopted Katie about thirteen years ago from your shelter!  Her name at that time was Carmella, she was about a year or a year and a half old (I can’t remember) and she was returned after being adopted as a kitten because her owner was afraid of her personality.  Katie is a Maine Coon mix, and definitely has a lot of personality!  At that time, my Maine Coon had just died and I was heartbroken for some time.  I saw Katie on PetFinder and her eyes spoke to me.  The very next morning, my daughter and I came to Meow and were told someone had adopted her.  But there was some confusion over who, and as it turned out, she was still there, nobody had been interested in her.  She hid behind the toilet in your rescue’s bathroom and was extremely timid.

We adopted her that day, brought her home, and she immediately took charge of the house.  Her favorite activities include what we call the “jump & bump”, she loves bumping heads and will jump up to do so.  She loves being held and cuddled, and is a very vocal sweet gal.
 
After seeing the stories recently about the cat without ears being adopted, it made me think to stop and write and tell you that all these years later, as Katie is becoming a senior citizen and greatly slowing down, I still love and adore her and she’s led a GREAT life 🙂
 
Sincerely,
Karen Erikson

Dear MEOW,

One year ago, I adopted “Cougar”, the cat pictured in the top left corner of your banner on your website. I wanted to send you an update on her life with her new family! She has been through a lot since being adopted. The first of which is that she has a new name of “Lady Bug” and is now affectionately referred to as “Buggy”. Shortly after adopting her, my boyfriend’s house caught fire. So, I moved into a new apartment in Redmond and took in not only my boyfriend but his cat “Chief” as well. Chief is a 3 year old kitty who grew up in a house full of 4 rough-housing boys, so he is not what you would consider to be a friendly cat and can be somewhat aggressive. Now, about a year later, Chief and Lady Bug cuddle together, eat and sleep together, and enjoy chasing toys and sitting in the window sill together. The two have a permanent home here with us and we can’t imagine our life without either of them.  It’s like Lady Bug trained him how to be a nice cat!

Lady Bug’s personality is like no other cat I have owned before. She a cuddle-bug by every definition of the word, and will even meow (more like a scream) at you if you are not petting her. It is adorable! While she may not be the “brightest” of cats, we find humor in the silly things she does which make every day with her that much more special. She wins the hearts of everyone who meets her! My 2 year old niece always mentions her by name, well as close as she can by saying “EEE-di Bug”, and our friends always ask where Lady Bug is when they come to visit. We simply can’t imagine our life without her, and we are amazed each and every day at how she and Chief have bonded with each other. My boyfriend has now become my fiancee, and after our wedding in a few short weeks, we hope to add a new kitten to our life. We will definitely be coming back to MEOW to look for a new member of our family.
 
Sincerely,
Lindsay and Stefan

Cupcake is as sweet as her name! She has adapted to my home and my three other cats very quickly, and she’s eating and playing happily. She’s very people oriented and sleeps on my chest at night, but snuggles with the other cats too. Here she is with Millie on my lap (Millie was rescued from the Clallam County animal shelter).

And here she is sharing the bed with Elmo (originally named Fluffy, adopted from Meow in May 2009). This picture is from her second day with me. I’ve never had a newcomer adapt so quickly to my other cats, or vice versa! She has my next-door neighbor, who has two rescued cats of her own, wanting to adopt a kitten too 🙂

Cupcake is napping on my lap as I write this, but don’t get the idea that all she does is sleep. She runs all over the house at top speed, including up and down my tall cat tree, and fetches toys to me when she wants to play. She’s a talker too, all kinds of chirps and trills and a very loud purr.

Thank you so much for rescuing this beautiful, adorable little girl! I’ll send more pictures as she grows up. 

-Ann

Dear Meow Cat Rescue,

I wanted to drop you a note and let you know how our newly adopted cats are doing. On January 23, Keith and I adopted Tom Kitten and Sam Whiskers, who are adorable black and white “cow” cat brothers. On the first night, they were a bit scared and zipped right under the bed (I know, I know! You warned us!). We tried to coax them out, but finally gave up and went to sleep. About 10 minutes after lights-out, I felt a thump and I found myself face-to-face with Sam (the little cat with the corneal scar). He snuggled right down and pretty soon was joined by his brother. They’ve slept on our bed every night!
 
These two are the sweetest cats we’ve known. They’ve used their litter boxes from the first night, and have never had an accident. They’re eating well and seem to enjoy a couple of different kinds of treats. They’re crazed up for the little brown mouse toy we found for them. And when they’re in the mood to snuggle, they’re the lovingest, snugglingest little dudes you’ve ever seen.

They had their first vet visit this weekend. And today I received the great news that their urinalysis results are just about perfect – no infections, crystals, or other problems. So we’ll keep feeding them well and taking good care of them and I think everything will be just fine.

I can’t thank you enough. We are so grateful to Denise, their first foster mom, who obviously treated them with great love and care and socialized them to be wonderful pets. Thank you for going to such great lengths to give them good health care and to go the extra mile to tend to Sam’s eye. Thank you to all of the volunteers who sat with us, cat wrangled for us, explained things a million times, and patiently helped us to find our perfect matches. If you think it’s appropriate, please let their former owner know that they’re very happy and adored in their new home. I would love for her to know that they’re safe and doing well.
 
My heart is so full of love for these little guys that I can’t imagine how we ever got along without them. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
 
Best,
Minette
 
P.S. I’ve attached pictures of the cats individually and one showing them together on their new resting spot.

If you’ve been following Winter in our newsletter and on Facebook, we’re so excited to share with you her latest adventure, which has given her a cage free life with all of the support she needs and maybe, someday, a family of her very own.

On May 29, 2010, Winter’s life changed. She had been offered a home at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. Two MEOW volunteers accompanied her on the flight to Salt Lake City and the six hour drive to the sanctuary. Winter was the perfect passenger, relaxed, patient and quiet. At SeaTac Airport, she enchanted other travelers as she sat contentedly on a chair or stretched her legs on the carpet. She wore a bright red walking jacket harness with matching leash. Throughout the trip, she was cheerful and calm. After more than 14 hours spent mostly in her carrier, she was so happy to be allowed to sleep on the bed the hotel room.

The next morning on May 30, she arrived at Best Friends, rested and ready to meet new people. Cats arriving at Best Friends initially stay at a place called Happy Landings, a quarantine of sorts. Long term, Winter will likely be living at Kitty Motel, where there are two FIV rooms. Her MEOW chaperones met several staff persons and many of the cats in both facilities and they are confident Winter will love her new home. She’ll have room to play, lots of structures to climb and she’ll have other cat friends if she chooses. She’ll have a loving staff and caring volunteers who will attend to her every need. We’re certain she’ll become a favorite there, and we’re hoping that one day she may even be adopted into a home of her very own. Until then, she’ll be living her very best life.

If you’re not already a friend, we invite you to become a Facebook friend of Winter Meow and stay current with her escapades at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Hello –

On February 10, 2001 (almost 10 years ago to the day), I walked into MEOW looking for 2 kittens and walked out with my 2 babies – the loves of my life!  Mia and Margeaux are now 10 years old (Mia soon to be 11) and both are happy, healthy and lively as ever.  We departed Washington for California in 2004.  They loved the cozy, rainy Seattle days but easily adapted to the beautiful Los Angeles sunshine!  They are the best of buddies and still do everything together – eat, sleep, cuddle, play, watch birds & squirrels out of the window.  For the last 10 years, I’ve had the best 5:30 am wake-up calls complete with purrs and gentle swiping of my face.  No matter how long I try to sleep in a little longer, Mama always gives in and gets up to give the Queen Felines their breakfast!  I love them so much and cannot even imagine my life without them!  I just wanted you to know how well 2 of your once-upon-a-time residents are doing.  Thank you, thank you MEOW for my babies – the loves of my life! 
 
Attached is a picture of the girls…Mia on top perch, Margeaux on lower perch.       
 
AAH

Dear MEOW cat rescue:

Wow, it seems like only yesterday that I adopted a fluffy orange and white kitty from MEOW, but it was actually two years ago.  He was named Mikey, and he had been returned to MEOW (after 8 years), due to financial circumstances of his human family.  They had been calling him Bailey, and he seemed to recognize that name more than Mikey, so I have been calling him Bailey as well.  His profile on PetFinder indicated that he was submissive to other cats, and that he was a “private investigator” personality. 

That struck me as an excellent fit with my resident cat, Curie, who had kept a respectful (but companionable), distance from my ruling, aged female kitty (Asterix).  Two years ago, Asterix passed away due to health complications of old age, at 18+ years.  I had looked after her health very carefully, and the vets tried their best, but sadly, it was just her time. 

I didn’t want Curie to be alone during the day while I’m at work, so after grieving for my beloved Asterix, I set about finding a companion for Curie.  At the same age (8 years), the same gender, and with a submissive temperament, Bailey sounded like a good choice.  And after meeting Bailey at MEOW, I decided he was ideal.  🙂  Since it has been quite a while, I thought y’all might enjoy an update on how he’s doing.

I handled Curie and Bailey’s introduction very carefully, following MEOW’s instructions. They got acquainted and comfortable with each other fairly quickly. Curie is still a bit jealous of Bailey, and hisses at him occasionally if he thinks Bailey is getting more attention than he is (as in, I glance at Bailey while petting Curie).  But when they think I’m not looking, they play together, chasing each other up and down the stairs and batting toys around.  When they realize I’m watching, they get embarassed, and walk off in different directions. 

Soon after I brought Bailey home, I discovered that he’s a budding opera star.  He likes to yowl to no one in particular, and sometimes walks through the house doing so anxiously, as if he’s worried that he’s all by himself and is calling out for others.  He seems relieved if I call his name when he does that.  He sings for his supper, too–especially if he thinks I’m being slow with the food can.  But he also seems to like to sing just for the sake of singing, and has discovered that the stairwell makes an excellent echo chamber for his performances.  🙂  Personally, I think it’s adorable, and I can sleep through it if it’s a late-night show.

Bailey also likes to wake me up in the morning by quietly climbing up on the pillow next to my head, nuzzling me slightly, and then winding his way over the top of my head and back again.  He doesn’t like to be held, but he enjoys being petted and loves a good chin-scritching.  He is wary of new people in the house (i.e., holiday visitors), but after they have been present for a while and he is used to their voices, he comes out of hiding and introduces himself.  When I come home from work, he joins Curie in greeting me at the front door, and they both curl up on my bed with me when I go to sleep.  

Bailey has made a wonderful addition to my household, and I’m sure that Curie is glad of the company.  I was delighted to be able to give Bailey a forever home.
Thanks to everyone there at MEOW for doing such a wonderful job! 

Hi, Everyone,
 
We are really enjoying our new adopted cat, Jusepi. You knew him as Milton.

I sent in the survey, but wanted to let you know that he adapted right away. Our own cat, Lucky, has be unsure and we have been introducing them pretty quickly because the rest of the family (not me) felt they were ready. They were sleeping in the same room, today, with no problems! I am amazed.

Jusepi joined the whole family for hanukkah this week. He hid under some wrapping papper and played tag with Lucky’s tail. Lucky placed herself in that position.

Love and Happy Holidays,
The Liebermans and Meyer

Hello MEOW!

I wanted to share our success story in regards to the adoption of our two beautiful kittens who are now 7 months old.

My husband, 2 children and myself came to MEOW a few months after my beautiful 12 year old Maine Coon, Cosmo, passed away suddenly. He was my first feline “baby” and it was so hard to say goodbye.  After a few months of quiet, we decided to look for a companion for our 11 year old big orange tabby, Handel. After visiting MEOW, we immediately fell in love with and brought home two sisters who are now known as Isabelle (Izzy) and Sophia (Sophie), formerly known as Mindy and Bee. After much growl talking and sulking from Handel, it took about one month for him to accept the kittens. Now they are one big family! They eat together, lay together and frequently groom each other. Handel loves to sit off to the side and watch the two kittens attack each other.

They have brought so much happiness to our lives over the last 3 months!  Izzy is quiet and sweet and loves to sit on our laps and purr.  Sophie is a bit of a maniac with a loud meow, but we love her for it!  It’s quite endearing though when she burrows under the covers with us at night and curls up to sleep.  Both of them love to eat and play. Did I mention they love to eat?

Thank you MEOW for bringing them into our lives!

Jennifer, Jack, Halina and Max