Thank you to everyone who made giveBIG 2022 a huge success raising over $46,000! As we say goodnight, we are so grateful for the support of so many, for all the right reasons! These funds will help ensure that we will be there for those who need us most, and continue to make good matches and build happy families.

MEOW is not a large shelter, nor do we have a large staff. That’s just fine with us. We appreciate being able to focus on each and every cat, the cute kittens, the rambunctious teen kitties, the young adults and the seniors, those with special medical needs, and those with special behavioral or emotional needs.

We make a lifetime commitment to each and every one, if ever they should need to be rehomed. Making good matches, building happy families, is our goal.

Meet Siskel & Ebert

These handsome 10-month-old boys came to us from a home with way too many cats. Not too much of a story there. They were with us for a short time before they found their forever family earlier this month. 

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Thank you to everyone who donated over the past few days. As of 10:30 pm this evening, we, thanks to you, achieved and actually surpassed our ambitious goal of $40,000. We have now raised over $45,000 for the animals! Of course, we’ll be online until midnight, so if you haven’t donated yet, there is still time. These funds will help ensure that we will be there for those who need us most, including those who need extra attention, time,or understanding to be their best selves.

It’s not always an easy transition for a cat to lose his home or family and join us at the shelter. And sometimes cats come to us because they are having issues in their home. We are so fortunate to have wide in-house expertise as well as support from knowledgeable veterinarians to help determine an appropriate path to take with these animals to give them the best chance at finding their forever home and resolve issues or modify behavior so the cats can live their best lives. Change can require a good deal of time and effort on our part, and potentially the forever family as well. But we believe the commitment is worth it!

Meet Boots & Spunkie

Uncle Boots, a four-year-old tuxedo boy, and his niece Spunkie, a lovely three-year-old silky sleek black panther, recently came to MEOW after their previous owner lost her home. Both cats were understandably confused and a bit afraid after losing the only home they had ever known.

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Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. As of 5 pm this evening, we have raised $36,994. These funds will help ensure that we will be there for those who need us most, including the most vulnerable, the bottle babies.

We owe so much to our foster families, whose dedication and efforts allow us to accept those animals not ready for adoption. There is a small group of fosters who take that dedication to the next level by fostering the bottle babies.

The babies are so vulnerable, and the youngest ones need to be fed every two hours. Yes, it can be heartbreaking, but the sense of purpose it brings and the rewards when the bottle babies grow into rambunctious kittens can’t be matched.

Pakuk Gets Her Angel Wings

Late last month, a new litter was born in foster care. Very early, tiny Pakuk’s foster family noticed that the otherwise attentive mama cat wasn’t tending to little Pakuk. As it turned out, Pakuk was born with a severely cleft palate, which made nursing impossible. So, while mama tended to her other babies, Pakuk’s amazing rock star of a foster mom tube fed her, which is the only way she was able to get nourishment.

It was touch and go, and for a few weeks she’s proved true to her name, as Pakuk is an Inuit word for “fighter”. We knew it was going to be a tough road, but MEOW and especially Pakuk’s foster mom were going to do everything we could to give her the best chance possible.

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Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. As of 1 pm this afternoon, we have raised over $31,000 and our match funds have been fully utilized! These funds will help ensure that we will be there for the animals, including those with special needs.

MEOW is proud to offer special needs cats the care and treatment they need, until they are chosen by that special family.

Meet Cisco

Cisco was left behind when his family moved, and soon after his rescuer brought him to MEOW he was diagnosed with a neurological condition called hyperesthesia. Hyperesthesia in cats is an extreme sensitivity, almost always on the back, most often right in front of the tail. Some cats may become suddenly aggressive and bite. Their pupils may dilate, their skin may ripple, they may drool, vocalize, or even urinate, and may self-mutilate.

Thankfully, Cisco has never exhibited these behaviors. What his fosters did notice was that he frequently acted uncomfortable, turning his head quickly toward his tail with a soft growl, and sometimes biting at himself. When this happened, he could easily be distracted and calmed by a soft voice or a gentle touch. Although he was clearly in distress, never did Cisco redirect his agitation outwardly, toward people or animals.

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Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. As of 9 am this morning, we have raised $16,784. These funds will help ensure that we will be there for those who need us most, including the super seniors.

It fills our hearts with joy to offer older cats, who may not seem as adorable as kittens, a soft place to land for as long as they need to find the family who can really appreciate them.

Meet Archie

An elderly woman had been feeding this big homeless red tabby cat recently, but that clearly wasn’t the best life for him, So, one of our independent rescuers asked if we would take this sweet 7-year-old gentleman.

Most likely he has spent quite some time living on his own. His cauliflower ears are a result of serious, long term, untreated ear mite infection. Despite his odd profile, he is the most charming of cats. We’re certain that someone will find him handsome inside and out and make him their own soon. 

Certainly, we have a soft spot in our hearts for the senior cats, the ones that often get overlooked for adoption, especially during kitten season. Yes, it’s harder to find their forever home as they may have health issues or senior needs, but it’s our pleasure to help them to meet the families that will love and cherish them for their lifetime.  Our hearts are filled with joy when an adopter of senior cats lets us know it was just the right fit!

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Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. As of 8 pm this evening, we have raised $14,048. These funds will help ensure that we will be there for those who need us most, and continue to be able to provide opportunities for people to connect and volunteer.

We rely on our in-shelter volunteers to help keep the shelter running smoothly. Whether it’s feeding the kitties their supper, keeping their living spaces clean, doing laundry, answering phones, or making adoption matches, our volunteers are up for the task.

One of the highlights for in-shelter volunteers is being able to interact with the cats in our care. A family of cats we affectionately call “The Librarians” need daily playtime and lots of human interaction, which our volunteers happily provide. It truly is a win-win situation.

Meet the Librarians

Found fending for themselves near Tacoma, six kittens and a mother cat came to us, fearful and a bit unsocial, most likely due to being born outside with limited human contact. Once in foster care, they began learning about human kindness and they started trusting just a bit. Although several months have passed and they’re still somewhat tentative, the family is together at the shelter now, continuing to adjust to new people, sounds and circumstances.

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Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. As of 4 pm today, we have raised $11,550. These funds will help ensure that we will be there for those who need us most, and continue to be able to be a resource to pet owners in our community.

We are huge advocates of humane traps as one of the best ways to bring an escaped indoor cat back to safety.

We loan traps with a deposit, but no charge, and provide instructions and guidance on how best to use them. It’s not always successful but when it is, the relief and gratitude of the families we’ve aided is always a highlight of our day.

Meet Freyja, Magnus, Lars, Floki, and Lilja

Just last week a woman knocked on our shelter door with a cat in her arms and four kittens in a laundry basket. She had received this family from a homeless woman and had promised to find a safe place for them. 

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Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. As of noon today, we have raised $7,088. These funds will help ensure that we will be there for those who need us most, and continue to be able to welcome and support our foster families.

Thanks to our dedicated foster volunteers, we are fortunate that we can accept cats and kittens not yet ready for adoption and offer them a safe place to grow or heal.

Whether it’s litters of kittens, late-stage pregnant cats, weaned kittens, orphaned bottle babies, or a sick or injured cat needing time to heal, our foster families open their homes and their hearts to provide necessary care and love.  

Meet Sugar Pie Honey Bunch and her sweet babies: Spumoni, Moon Pie, Brulé, Truffle, and Ambrosia

Sugar Pie Honey Bunch came to MEOW from a home with way too many cats. A friend reached out to get no cost spay/neuter vouchers from us. Once we started working with them we were able to convince them that allowing us to find homes for several of their cats was in everyone’s best interest.

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Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. As of 8 am this morning, we have raised over $3,700! These funds will help ensure that we will be there for those who need us most, including the ones who need a guardian angel to step in and save them. 

We are often called upon by veterinarians, our volunteers, community members to step in and help an animal in desperate need of emergency or significant veterinary care.

Thanks to our Mercy Fund and our veterinary partners who provide reduced rates, we often are able to truly save lives. We know it’s expensive but to the families who will love those beneficiaries, to the volunteers who know the stories and love those kitties, the donors who stand with us in our mission, and in support of our motto, “all nine lives are precious” it is so worth it!

Meet Raiden

Late last month we received a call from an area veterinary hospital asking if we would take on a very sick young male cat. He had been admitted with a urinary blockage, dehydration, anemia, and azotemia. 

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