I Had No Idea!

Dear Friends of Graham's and Mario's:

I had the great pleasure of meeting Lisa Kay Peters, Development Director of Bay Area Humane Society, today to deliver the check from the Graham Fund so generously donated by all of Graham's friends (and Mario's friends too). It was an enriching experience for me as I learned so much about their facility during the time I spent with Lisa. Things I did not know!

The Bay Area Humane Society is the only Animal rescue site in our city. We do have a couple of private, animal specific rescue groups (Pugs and German Shepherds) but they only work with their particular breed of dog.  Non-German Shepherds and Pugs are referred to the Bay Area Humane Society if they are being surrendered or found as strays in our community.   I did not know!

There is a "no-kill" cat specific organization in a small town about 40 miles from Green Bay that works with placing cats. But, guess where the cats go that they refuse to take at their shelter - those determined to be totally feral? They end up at the Bay Area Humane Society too. I did not know! The few animals the Humane Society euthanized last year were all animals that had been rejected by other shelters in Northeast Wisconsin. I did not know!

Every animal turned in to The Bay Area Animal Shelter is assessed when they enter the facility. They accept dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, snakes etc. If the animal is deemed appropriate for adoption, every effort is made to find a home for that animal. Very, very few are euthanized. The only euthanizing they do are extreme rare cases where the animal is determined to be vicious and totally not adoptable. Yes, they are a "kill shelter," but it is seldom an animal has to be "put down." I did not know!

When Graham was first surrendered and we thought her to be feral, I had called a spay and neuter group in the city to see if they would take Graham and possibly spay and neuter her as part of their program and then release her with a group of cats back to a farm with others. The volunteer explained to me that feral cats live in colonies. If you try to bring a stray kitten into their community, they will not accept that kitten. The kitten would then be left to fend for itself and would be kicked out by the group of cats and probably not survive. I did not know!

I for one am thankful that Graham was turned over to the Bay Area Humane Society, because she was deemed adoptable and was given the chance at a new life and a forever home, which she now has.

Do they enjoy euthanizing an animal? NO! All of the staff and volunteers working at these shelters are there for the love of animals. It is not a glamorous job nor a money-making business. They operate on a very limited. tight budget with all of their funds going to the care of the animals.

I came away from my meeting with Lisa being more informed, wiser, and willing to "Be The Change" for this facility. I am going to put more effort into promoting their adoptable animals and be more of an advocate for their shelter. (Yes, they are a "shelter.") 

I'd like to introduce you Tiki, an adorable Persian kitty recently surrendered with such matted hair, that the she had to be shaved. Thus, perhaps she looks a little naked now, but take a look at this sweet, adorable face. If you would like to adopt this sweet, adorable kitty, information is available at http://www.bayareahumanesociety.com/searchall.html

I also met Gilbert, a coonhound/treeing walker mix, who @Mariodacat will be featuring in his half-hour (7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CDT) of tweet time in @Mattietdog's #Lub2Rock Adoption Option Friday night, http://lub2rockadoptionoption.blogspot.com/p/ajs-barktenders.html.  Gilbert came to the Bay Area Humane Society from another shelter and has already been at Bay Area for 2 months now.   It seems that treeing walker/coonhouds are not a popular breed in the Wisconsin area.  All of the animals featured in this concert are available for adoption through Pet Finder, a co-sponsor of the concert Friday evening.  Unfortunately, since Tiki isn't listed yet on Pet Finder, she is  not eligible  for feature, but Mario will feature her on his own right after the concert.

Now back to the Graham story. Lisa has not had any more contact with the young couple that adopted Graham. They simply don't have enough staff or time to follow up with each adopted animal.   She is willing, however, to mail a letter to them that I had typed up explaining that Graham's friends on Twitter are very anxious to hear how she is doing in her new home. I listed @Mariodacat's name in case they wished to contact us via Twitter. I also gave them my email address, phone number, and postal mailing address. If I do hear from the new parents of Graham, Mario will let you know via Twitter and his blog.

In closing, I would encourage you to visit your local Humane Society and find out exactly what their policy is regarding euthanizing, what is their ratio of euthanizing versus adopted aniamls. etc.   Be more informed and willing to volunteer or be an advocate for them on Twitter and in blogs.  

Mario just published another blog this morning - the Animal Photo Hunt "That's Not Me" and it's a good one.  Check it out too - you'll be amazed!  See if you can decide which one is the "real Mario."

Coming next week will be a feature (by Mario)  on How You Can Help Your Local Humane Society.  An idea given to me by Lisa on my visit today.

Anipal Photo Hunt # 7: Hey! That's Not Me!

Hey!  That's No Me!  

Or Is It?

Hi Friends:

I was was really xcited bout todays photo hunt cuz I have a twin on Twitter dat you all know too.  But before I tell you dat secret, you have to look at M's crude attempt at putting our faces side by side.   Sorry dat's it's such a bad picture, but our picture thingy isn't working so well right now.

Now take a look at @ThePixelMoon's picture with her brother Winston on the left and Zinn on the right.,  

When I look at that picture, I even think that is me, cept I don't have any other kitties living with me, so I know for sure it's not me.

@ThePixelMoon was almost as excited as I was when I asked her if I could use her photos from Twitpic for this post.   We always call ourselves "cousins" and had thought once of doing some kind of trickery photo contest on Twitter.   So, this was a good chance to show everyone how much alike we really are.

That's Pixel on the left and me on the right.

Now what did you guess on the blue photo - No. 1 or No. 2?  Well, I'm No. 1 and Pixel is No. 2  He he - I think Pixel isn't quite a chubby as I am.  She must probably gets more xercise den I do.

Be sure to come back in a minute and read my next post "I Had No Idea."  (yup - 2 in one day).  This one is about M's visit to the Bay Area Humane Society to present the check for the funds raised in the Graham Fund.

Now it's your turn.   Join the Photo Hunt and find your twin.   Good hunting!

Anipal Photo Hunt #6: Adopt A less Adoptable Animal

Hi Friends: 

Imagine my surprise to find that this weeks' photo hunt is "Adopt A Less Adoptable Animal."   Well, it just so happens my little friend Graham fits that category.   Please meet Graham.

 Graham is about 5 months old.  She was turned into the  http://www.bayareahumanesociety.com/ shelter on August 14th as a "feral" kitten.   Graham was turned over to the shelter by her first human, who rescued her from a barn.  The huuman worked full time and Graham was alone all day.  She admitted she did not have much extra time to spend with Graham, teaching her how to be a good kitten and playing with her.   She gave Graham up because by the time she got home from work at night and had time to play with Graham, Graham was behaving like a wild kitten - biting scratching, etc.  Keep in mind Graham had been alone all day and probably had excess energy to wear off not to mention lack of human contact.

I happen to live in the same city as Graham.   So M has visited her at the shelter three times.  The first time, she took Graham into a little room and played with her with a string and a ball.   Graham behaved very well, even when M went to pick her up to return her to the shelter worker.  She did not seem feral at all on that visit.  See my blog post of September 15, 2010 to get details of how the 2nd and 3rd visits went.  She was more aggressive but maybe had a reason to be.

This little girl will make someone a good pet, if they have the time and patience to work with her.   The shelter does say they will not place her in a home with small children or other kitties because she can become easily over stimulated.  

If you can provide a good home for Graham or know someone who can, please contact the Bay Area Humane Society shelter at:   920  469-3110 directly, and tell them you are interested in adopting Graham.   You can also email them at  frontdesk@bayareahumanesociety.com

Now if you live in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, or Michigan, M said she might be willing to drive 300 to 400 miles to meet you somewhere to turn Graham over to you.  But, first you have to make arrangements through the shelter for adoption and handle all the paper work and pay the adoption fee.  We don't want transportation to be a big issue if you can provide a good, forever home for Graham.  Now please, if you can adopt Graham, contact the shelter now.  Then let M know by leaving a note on my blog or if you are on Twitter, DM @Mariodacat.  We do have 3 animals/humans willing to run a relay to the states mentioned if transportation is an issue. 

BAY AREA HUMANE SOCIETY

1830 Radisson St.

Green Bay, WI 54302

P: (920) 469-3110

Note:  Today's photos of Graham were taken from the Bay Area Humane Society's website.   There are more photos of Graham taken by M on her visits posted in my September 15th blog post.

Now it's your turn to feature an animal that is considered less than the perfect animal for adoption.  Then hop aboard the Photo Hunt.

Pedigree Write A Post, Help A Dog (Kitty Helping Doggies

Pedigree Write A Post, Help A Dog

I'm not a dog, I'm a cat (last time I looked anyway), but I have lots of doggie friends and sure would love to help out shelter dogs.   It's easy too and only takes a few minutes of your time.  Whew!  I made it just in time because the deadline is tomorrow.  Act NOW - you still have time.

Tomorrow (September 19) is the deadline for the Pedigree Write A Post Help A Dog Campaign. The brilliant social media people (or maybe it was the Head Dog there) came up with this great idea to promote their brand and their very wonderful work helping create awareness for adopting from a shelter. Even Mashable picked up on the campaign.

While Pedigree hopes people will adopt shelter dogs, this campaign helps provide food for the dogs still there. For every blog that is posted about the campaign and for every new Facebook Fan (or "Like" as Facebook changed it), Pedigree will donate a 20 pound bag of dog food to a shelter.

What I like about the Pedigree campaign is they emphasize RESPONSIBLE adoption - meaning families need to know what it means to adopt a dog and understand the commitment so the dog will find a real furever home!

So if you haven't already written your post or "liked" Pedigree on Facebook, what are you waiting for? Be sure to add it here:

CallMeGraham Update #2

What's dat? Can I play with it?

Hi friends,

Just a short post to give you more pictures of Graham and an update.   Sorry it took us so long, but M did make an attempt to see Graham on Saturday.  Dat was not a good day as lots of peeps came in looking to adopt anipals, and Graham had been handled quite a bit dat day.  By the time M got to hold her, her feral side was showing a little.   So, M went back today hoping it would be a better day for Graham.  



M says Graham has grown quite a bit since 3 weeks ago compared to the pictures she took for the last post August 26th.  Graham had just woke up from a nap today and was full of energy and was very fiesty.

Basically, she wanted to play and run to get rid of the excess energy she had.   She started to play with the string-like things on M's crop pants.   They were just dangling there inviting a kitten to play.  Den she spotted M's shoelace - another dangly thing just waiting for a kitten to play with it.

Take a look at dat tail.   Dat is one gorgeous floofy tail dat I wish I had.   he he - Only I'd want a tail in black or white to match my body.   I'd look pretty silly with an orange tail!

Den Graham tried to put the bitey on M's leg, but she really didn't succeed cuz M's leg would be a real mouth full for a little kitten.

Den all of a sudden Graham leaped up and grabbed M's arm with her claws and left 3 sink holes in M's arm.   (Don't worry, M is just fine and arm is fine.   It did ooze red stuff tho.   Now she has a bandaid on it.)

Graham moves with lighting speed, M says.   Before she knew what was happening, Graham was on the chair by the door as if to say - "Let me out of here."  "I want to run and chase something." 

Now she's trying to play with a spot on the floor.   he he - silly kitty, there is nothing there.   What a cutie she is.

Now M has not had a kitten in a hundred years, she says, so she doesn't know if Graham is behaving like a normal kitten with energy, or if some of the ferral still comes out.  M said Graham definately was more active den the other kittens she saw in cages - the cutest one there tho. 

The shelter told M dat they will not place Graham in a home where there are young children cuz they would just rile Graham up and dat's when she starts getting wild.   They also said they would probably not place her in a home with other anipals either for the same reason.  Now we just have to keep our paws crossed dat the purrfect human comes along to adopt Graham.

@Cheriswan has now closed out the fund and will be sending M the check so M can make a personal visit next week to deliver the check in person.  Stay tuned for more pictures at that time.

If you would still like to donate a few $$ to the shelter to help all of the anipals, you can send a check to: 

Bay Area Humane Society and Animal Shelter, Inc.
1830 Raddison
Green Bay, WI  54302

Like most shelters, they have to rely on the generosity of humans to provide for some of the basic necessities.  

M said while she was there for an hour, 2 puppies and 1 kitty (who appeared to be about 2 years old) were being adopted.   YAY!  Before any anipal is adopted, they are micro-chipped so if they should run away, they have a better chance of being found.  he he - I has a microchip in me too - somewhere, but I'm not sure where cuz I don't feel anything.

@Cheriswan has sent a personal email to each of the donors who contributed to the fund raiser.   Cheri and I deeply appreciate the donations, and I know the shelter will too.  You, dear friends, never cease to amaze us with your caring and generosity in trying to help the anipals in need.   YOU ALL ROCK!

We love you all


Mario, Cheri and M

Versitle Blogger Award

Hi Pals,

I got the surprise of me life today when while traveling on my blog reading mission.   My good friend Max over at http://maxthequiltcat.com presented me with an award - the Versatile Blogger.   With all those fantastic blogs out der, he passed the award on to me.  I still can't believe it.

Now I'm supposed to tell you 7 things about me.
1.  My burfday is coming up October 15th.  Well, we don't know when I was really born cuz I'm adopted, but dat is the day I was adopted so we call it my burfday.   I'll turn 5 den.

2.  When the doorbell rings, I am the first one at the door cuz I'm a friendly guy.

3.   Half of our house is all torn up because something called the "sewer" backed up and caused a flood in our basement.   It's a mess.

4.  I hate getting furminated, but don't mind brushing if you do it lightly.

5.  I only play with toys when my oomans play with me.

6.  I can go outside only if I wear a harness, leash and one of my oomans take me.

7.  I yowled at a Raccoon in our backyard recently cuz he was eating the birdie seed.

Now I have the pleasure of passing this award on to three other bloggers, except I'm passing it on to four.

1.  CathyKeisha's http://stunningkeisha.blogspot.com/ If you want to put laughter in your day, read her blog.

2.  BearBearD's http://lovealwaysbear.blogspot.com/ Bear and his brother Fuzzy are such kind doggies and write a cute bloggy dat always leaves you feeling good after reading it.  

3.  PiruloFurry's http//Pirulofurry.blogspot.com/ Pirulo is my buddy living in Peurto Rico, writes about his adventures and throws in a surprise every now and then.   Ask to see the work his mama does.  You'll be amazed.

4.  MaggieTKat and @ParkerSKt's bloggy http://KruseKats.blogspot.com/ You'll like reading bout Parker and Maggie's adventures.  Maggie leads the #ReadPawty book club and also has the http://ReadPawty.blogspot.com/ blog talking bout books they are recommending the club members read. Check out both of their blogs.

I hope you will take some time to check out the blogs I talked about.   I think you'll like what you see.

Thanks for visiting today.   One day very soon I'll be doing an update on @CallMeGraham.  Stay tuned.

Mario

Anipal Photo Hunt #5 - Blog Paws

Hi Friends,

Cokiedacat's Photo Hunt this week was a challenge for me. You'd think with all the pictures M takes of me (and there are bunches) there would be one of me supervising the wriitng of my blog. Nope! We have lots of pictures of me supervising tweets on Twitter, but not the blog.

It was like a 3-ring circus yesterday as M wanted me to sit at the puter.  Now friends, you know us cats never do anything on command.  It's against our cat list of principles. At one point she even had D holding me on the chair and forcing me to look at the puterl. He he - I showed dem. I promptly struggled and got away.

So, dis morning, I decided to give in and let M get my pictures so we could get this blog moving. Besides, I felt like writing it today - not yesterday.

Here's me supervising what is going into my blog. You can't see the page very well, because it's black (as you know), but if you look close, you can see my picture from last week.

Join CokiedaCat's Photo Hunt.  It's fun.

Anipal Photo Hunt #4 My Bed

Hi Friends,

Dis weeks Photo Hunt by @Cokiethecat is right up me "alley."   Nothing I like better den taking a nap (well eating might rank a close 2nd).  

Dis is my official bed

But, I really sleep anywhere I want to.

Sometimes I sleep on my window perch .................



 

Sometimes I sleep in mom's office by her desk.




He he - I think you get the picture.  I really sleep anywhere I want to sleep.

Now it's your turn to show where you sleep.   Join the Photo Hunt below.  It's fun and you meet new friends too.

My Favorite Toy

HELP - I can't quite reach dat ball.

Hi friends, it's me, Mario:

The Photo Hunt assignment is a tough one.    I has a whole basket full of toys, but don't like to play by myself.  The oomans must play with me.    And I keep changing my mind on what is favorite.  It depends on the day and my mood.   Sometimes I like chasing after the ball if my oomans roll it.

 Sometimes they roll the ball into my belly and I hold it and kick it like I is really mad at it.

And sometimes I like playing with a string.   My oomans either pull it on the floor or hold it over me head so I has to sit up and reach it.

I has lots of other toys too, but string and chasing a ball are my two favorite games.  M calls dis game playing stuff my aerobics!   I not sure what dat means, but I know I usually has fun.

Before I say goodbye for today, there is still time to donate to the rescue site where @CallMeGraham is living.  Soon I'll do an update on him again.   Just click on the widget on the right.

You can join dis fun photo hunt game too.   Just add your name below and follow instructions.