Friday, May 30, 2014

Feline Friday - Angel

This is our sweet little Angel at StreetCats! She’s estimated to be just a bit over 1 year old.  She has a shiny black coat with a few bits of white fur on her chest. 


She’s very playful, friendly, and affectionate and seems to get along with the other cats at StreetCats, and probably would get along with children, too.  She's also a great lap cat!


Angel was rescued by a StreetCats volunteer when she was pregnant. She had her kittens and they have all gone to their new homes.  Angel would very much like to be next. 

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She is very healthy!  Like all of StreetCats kitties she has been to the vet for the V.I.P. treatment and has been spayed, and given all of her shots. And also, like all of our kitties, when she is adopted she will be micro-chipped with the new owners contact information.  The new owners will also receive the first year’s registration compliments of StreetCats!

If you are interested in meeting Angel, feel free to come by StreetCats at 6520 E. 60th St, in Tulsa, 10:30 - 5:00 Tuesday though Saturday, or call our message line, 918-298-0104 with any questions that you may have.  We would love to show you around and introduce you to Angel and I’m sure that she would love to meet you, too!

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Once Upon a Time . . . Twice!

I'm sure you remember that a few weeks ago I, Vanna, told you a story.  It was a story about StreetCats, the organization.  It was so much fun to tell you a story that I've decided to tell you another one.  Two, in fact! Telling stories is so much fun that when I'm adopted this week I will tell my new humans that I want to be a storyteller when I grow up!  Wait!  I'm already a story teller!  My new humans will be so proud!

Okay, here we go!  First a picture of Millie, our Maine Coon cat.  Okay, full disclosure, we don't KNOW that she's a Maine Coon.  I mean we don't have papers to prove it or anything.  But come on!  If it looks like, meows like and walks like a Maine Coon cat, don't you suppose it's probably a Maine Coon cat?!  She may be a little smaller than most Maine Coons (they're really big!), but she is just a petite little girl cat, so there!  Check out that tabby coloring and that gorgeous long hair!  Maine Coons can be any color, but they are most often brown tabby like Millie.  And they always have longish hair!  Have you ever wondered how Maine Coon Cats came to be?  Well, I'm going to tell you!


Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there was a queen.  Her name was Marie Antoinette and her people got mad at her.  They were mad because she had so much and they had so little.  And they thought she didn't care and that she didn't even try to do anything about their suffering.  So in 1793 (told you it was a long time ago!) her people chopped off her head.  A little extreme, you think?  Anyway, Marie Antoinette loved her Turkish Angora cats and she planned an escape that included taking six of her favorites with her.  She was going to go on a boat to the United States.  Well, clearly she didn't make it to the US of A!  But her cats were already loaded on the boat and they did!  After they got there they made friends with the local cats and from those friendships was born the modern breed that we call Maine Coon.  Cool, huh?!

Did you like that story??  Okay, here's another one.  Once upon a time a long, long time ago, there was an English seafarer name Captain Charles Coon.  He liked his long-haired cats so much that he kept them on his ship with him.  And when the ship would anchor in New England ports the kitties would get off the ship and make friends with some of the local cats.  Before you know it long-haired kittens began appearing in the litters of kittens in New England and they were known as "Coon's cats."  Well, I'm sure you can figure it out from there . . . they were developed into the breed Maine Coon!

Okay, I said two stories, but here's a third one.  This one is really funny and doesn't even count because it isn't genetically possible.  But you know some humans!  They tell it anyway!  That story is that the modern Maine Coon is descended from semi-feral domestic cats and raccoons!  Now that might explain the most common color of Maine Coons . . . brown tabby . . . as well as their bushy tails.  But come on people, we're not going to get that close to raccoons!  Use your heads!    Do you suppose these gorgeous cats are descended from cats and bobcats?!  That would maybe explain the tuffs of hair in the ears!  Hmmm.

Well, enough stories for today.  Isn't it funny that the cat breed that won Best in Show at the first North American cat show in 1895 doesn't even know for sure what its origin is?!  Take your pick, I guess.  And I'll look for more stories to tell you.  Stay tuned!

Friday, May 23, 2014

Feline Friday - Callie!

Callie is one fun-lovin’ kitty! She is approximately 1 year old with a birthday around the 1st of May last year.  She is what is called a diluted calico, because her 3 colors are more of a pastel than the colors on most calicos.

She is good living with the other cats here at StreetCats!  We don’t know how she would respond to dogs and children.  She’s young and not set in her ways so I bet she’ll likely be able to adjust to everyone.  She is very playful and friendly.  She seems to keep the other young cats and the volunteers busy playing with her whenever she's not sleeping. 
 
She was originally adopted out by StreetCats, so once a StreetCat always a StreetCat. Her owner, who is physically disabled, realized that he was unable to give her the attention that she needs, so he returned her to us. She is a wonderful cat! I think she would enjoy a home with a lot of love and activity.


She has been given the V.I.P. treatment!  She has been spayed, vaccinated, and thoroughly checked over by a veterinarian. She has been micro-chipped and will have the new owner’s contact information put on it when she's adopted. Also, when she's adopted the new owners will receive the first year's registration with HomeAgain paid by StreetCats.

If you are interested in meeting Callie, feel free to come by StreetCats at 6520 E. 60th St, in Tulsa, 10:30 - 5:00 Tuesday though Saturday, or call our message line, 918-298-0104 with any questions that you may have.  We would love to show you around and introduce you to Callie and I’m sure that she would love to meet you, too!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

I'm So Excited!

And I'm not even going to try to hide it!!  But I promise that I will not lose control because I need to write this blog!  But now there is even more reason to be excited than there was when I told you that I was going to tell you my latest contest and who won it!  Oh, I can't wait!

Oh, I don't HAVE to wait!  Here it is!  My latest contest among my StreetCats cats is "Best Manicure!" And the winner is Sway!!  I'm going to show some pictures of Sway, but first I'm going to tell you exactly why I am even more excited than I was when I told you last time I wrote that I was excited!  Sway was already adopted!  Yep, she's gone home!  I mean I hadn't even announced the winner of the contest yet (although I knew who it was!) and she got adopted.  Now are these contests of mine cool or what??!!  It's okay, I don't need to be given personal credit.  We all know the truth!

Okay, here are some pictures of Sway and, of course, you'll want to focus on her manicure.  Here is what I like best about it.  Every paw has been done a little differently.  Isn't she smart in her choices!  Now in this first picture you can see all four of her paws and you will see how each one is different.  My favorite is the front paw where she has painted each nail white . . . separately.  I can't believe she thought of that!  Okay, let's just face it, her choice of even her all-over-colors is just stupendous!  No wonder she got adopted so fast!  (Plus she's really sweet!)


Now I'm going to show you more pictures of Sway so that you can study each of her feet separately and see how creative she is.  And because she's pretty!




In this last picture you an see that she did one of her back paws all in white.  Wow, the creativity!  Okay, I'm sorry to dangle this already adopted cat in front of you.  I know you want her and she's already in her new home.  So let me tell you this.  We have a bunch of really beautiful, sweet cats at StreetCats!  Come by and see them Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 - 5:00.

One last thing before I go.  I have a confession to make.  Sometimes when I meet a new cat at StreetCats I see something about them that makes me think of a contest that I'm pretty sure they could win.  Is that bad?  I mean I still give the other cats a chance, so I hope that isn't too bad!  Oh well, I'm going to be adopted this week and who knows what the next StreetCats blogger will do.  So, bad or not, it's okay , , , I think!

Friday, May 16, 2014

Feline Friday - Millie!

Millie is a Maine Coon Tabby! As you can see by the pictures, she is very beautiful!


Maine Coon cats are Native American long-haired cats first recognized as a specific breed in Maine where it was named the official cat of the state.  Maine Coons are noted for their intelligence and their kindly dispositions.  They have been named the Gentle Giants because they are sturdy and somewhat larger than other cats and they are said to be especially good with children and other pets.  Please visit the Cat Fancier’s Association website to learn more about this very interesting breed: http://www.cfa.org

Of course we can’t say positively that Millie is good with kids, other cats, or even dogs, but from what we know about her she probably would be good with all three.


Millie is approximately 1 year old.  She was rescued by one of StreetCat’s own volunteers.  She is described as playful, friendly and affectionate.  She has been given the StreetCats V.I.P. (Very Important Pet) treatment.  She has been examined by a vet, been tested and vaccinated, and also spayed.  When she is adopted we will also place a microchip under her skin, identifying her with her new owner’s contact information, and register her with the HomeAgain program for returning lost pets to their owners.

If you are interested in meeting Millie, feel free to come by StreetCats at 6520 E. 60th St, in Tulsa, 10:30 - 5:00 Tuesday though Saturday, or call our message line, 918-298-0104 with any questions that you may have.   We would love to show you around and introduce you to Millie and I’m sure that she would love to meet you, too!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Let's Hear It For Claws!

And the winner is . . . !!!!  No, wait, I haven't told you what the contest is.  And the current best StreetCats contest is . . . !!!  Okay, I'm just messing with you.  Yes, there was a contest and yes, there was a winner, but I'm not going to tell you what or who right now.  And I'm not just being mean, I promise!  You see, one of our wonderful StreetCats photographers, Vickie Sanborn, is out of town and can't get a picture of the contest winner right now.  But she will be back very soon and as soon as she gets me a picture I'll make the big announcement.  This one is really cool, you guys, so stay tuned!

So today we are going to talk about claws.  Humans don't have claws.  They have fingernails and toenails, but those are not quite the same.  Claws are usually thought of as being sharp and dangerous!  I guess it is for that reason that when some humans get a kitty they remove their front claws and sometimes even their back claws, too.  Usually the danger they are most worried about is damage to their furniture and curtains!  What's with the furniture, humans?!  And, make no mistake, the vets who perform the claw removing operation are not just removing claws . . . they are removing a whole joint on kitty paws.  Ouch!!!  We have several kitties at StreetCats who have had their claws removed and they seem to be doing just fine.  But I sure am glad I still have mine!

And why, you ask, are you glad you have your claws, Vanna?  Well, I'll tell you.  I use them!  It isn't hard to figure out that we use our claws for climbing, right?  But did you know that with that last joint on our paws that includes our claws we can run on our tiptoes at top speeds???  Yes, we can!!  Isn't that cool!  Without our claws we can't run as fast.  Balancing is a lot harder, too!  That's sort of sad, isn't it?  And did you know that in many countries declawing (the medical term for this operation is onychectomy) is illegal??!!  That's because those humans who live there find it inhumane  to perform a onychectomy on a cat.  Interesting term, inhumane.  Do they mean infeline?  Anyway, the countries that ban onychectomies are Australia, Brazil, England, Scotland, Wales, Denmark, Norway . . . well, you get the message.  There are many more!

In fairness there are those who argue that declawing your cat is just fine.  And, as I said, the declawed cats at StreetCats seem to be okay.  It is still legal in all the states of the US of A.  So I suppose the debate about claws will continue around here without resolution.  Time will tell.  Frankly, I know which side of the debate I'm on!  As I said before, ouch!!

And now I am going to show you pictures of our kitty, Dot, demonstrating the use of claws!  In the first photo she is clawing on a scratching post.  These are devices that humans keep so that maybe cats will claw on them instead of furniture.  And sometimes it works!  In the second picture, you will see Dot using her claws to climb up a cat tree, another toy that people keep for their indoor cats.  And in the third picture . . . success!  She made it to the top.  Yeah claws!!




Yes, her ears are pink, but only on the inside, unlike mine!  Kind of cute, isn't she?!

Okay, only two more things to say about claws.  Here are two things you can do if you're afraid of cats' claws.  First, you can get Soft Paws, easy-to-apply hollow vinyl nail caps that are glued onto your cat's nails.  They even come in crazy colors.  (Frankly, I'm not so sure about the "easy-to-apply" part.  We are cats!)  Or, to avoid cat claws destroying your home, which some of you are afraid of, get a DOG!  He won't claw your drapes . . . just might eat them, that's all!  Don't be surprised if the dog attacks the mailman, however, or barks at 3:00 AM.  Just saying.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Feline Friday - Spencie!

Spencie is a little girl about 1 year old. She is black and white, as you can see, but what you may not know is that people call cats like her “ Tuxedo” cats.
As you may be able to see in the pictures, she is playful! She came into StreetCats just last Tuesday the 22nd of April. At first she was very scared, but quickly came around to being her playful self after only a day or so. From what we know about her,  she would probably be good with kids. She came to us already declawed on the front paws.  We don’t know how she feels about dogs or just exactly how she feels about living with other cats, however she seems to not be bothered by being with the other cats at the shop.
You may be wondering how she came to us. The former owners said that she was too playful. This may have been that they simply couldn’t keep up with an high energy kitten. 

She has been given the StreetCats V.I.P. treatment. She has been examined by a vet, given all of her vaccines, and has been spayed. When it's time to go home with her new owners, she will be microchipped with the new owner's contact information and will have the first year's registration fee paid by StreeCats. 

If you are interested in meeting Spencie, feel free to come by StreetCats at 6520 E. 60th St, in Tulsa, 10:30 - 5:00 Tuesday though Saturday, or call our message line, 918-298-0104 with any questions that you may have.  We would love to show you around and introduce you to Spencie and I’m sure that she would love to meet you, too!