Fun Stuff!

I hadn't really planned to write today.   Oh, this is Vanna in case you were wondering.  I hadn't thought I would write because I don't have a contest winner to tell you about.  We're having a contest.  And most of the cats are entering . . . with gusto!  But we don't have a winner yet and all that will be a surprise so I can't tell you anything about any of that today.  But . . . .

StreetCats is just so much fun sometimes that I just have to write and share with you just exactly WHAT is so much fun!  So first, we have new shirts in the shop!  And I just love them!  I'm going to show you a picture now.

Now isn't this just so cool and so much fun!!!  Here is what I think is going to happen.  Someone is going to come into the shop.  They are going to see this shirt.  And then . . . they are going to see me across the crowded room! And it is going to be like an enchanted evening!  And they will fly to my side and they will somehow just know that they have found their true love!  Then they will take me to my forever home.  Aaahhh!  I'm pretty sure that will happen this week!  So you see, right, why I love this shirt so much!

Okay, now I have one more fun thing to tell you about.  We have kittens!!!!  Yes, kittens!  I know StreetCats doesn't take kittens, right?  Well, I don't know how they got to be StreetCats then, because here they are!  And lucky they are, too, because they will always be StreetCats, even when they're in their forever homes!  And until they get to their forever homes they'll be spoiled rotten and given everything they could possibly need.  And we're looking for forever homes that will spoil them just as much as we do!  Want to see how cute they are?  Here you go!

These twin little girls are between three and four months old and are gorgeous!  Their names are Mischief and Mojo.  Now I just love their names!  And here is what they do at StreetCats.  They play.  And then they play and play and play.  And then they eat.  And then they play.  Sometimes they rest for a minute and then they play and play and play!  Now they are just cute to watch, but I will admit that I've had to hiss at them a time or two.  I know, I know, that's not like me at all!  But sometimes it's necessary . . . you know, for their lessons.

Okay, that's all for today.  So come on in and buy a shirt and adopt a cat!  Like the shirt says, life is short!  And I'll get back to you soon with the winner of that contest!

Poetry in Motion

I am so excited . . . happy, happy, happy!  And not just because I feel so sure my forever family will find me this week!  I'm excited because we've had another contest and we have a winner!  Before I even tell you what our contest was, I'm going to show you a picture of our winner.  Her name is Callie and she is young and beautiful.  Boy is she ever going to make a great kitty for someone who needs a kitty in their life.  So okay, here you go.  Callie!  Oh yeah, this picture was taken right after I announced the winner of the contest and you can see how happy she is!

Told you she is beautiful!  Okay, now I'll tell you what the contest was.  It was best jumper!  And it involved some climbing, too, because Callie climbed up on a big cat tree in order to demonstrate her jumping ability.  I mean creativity is one of the reasons she won.  Some of the cats just jumped up onto a chair.  Come on, guys!  Oh, climbing!  Cats climb sort of like fish swim!  So if you get a kitten don't be surprised if it climbs up your pants leg or your curtains.  Yep, better get those cat trees!  And remember that he is likely looking for prey and that prey might just be your hair!  Hee hee!  Kittens are so cute!

Should I show the pictures first, or give you the info?  Hmmm.  Hard to decide.  Okay, first the info, then the pictures.  Cats use every part of their body to make a successful jump.  First, the tail!  It is a chain of about 20 caudal vertebrae!  Yep, and we cats can use it to help balance ourselves so that our bodies go where we want them to!  Then there are our sharp claws which we can use to grab hold, if we need to.  And did you know that our spines are very supple and that our collarbone is detached, making us even more able to maneuver?!  We can even use our whiskers to orient ourselves to what is around us.  Ha!  I know I shouldn't gloat, but really, human beings?!  You can't touch that!

Okay, now for the pictures taken during our contest.  For these I must thank my wonderful photographer, Vickie Sanborn.  First we have the launch, then the flying through the air part (my favorite!) and then the landing.  I want you to note just how soft that landing is!  Now let's face it, humans, if that were you, I bet there'd be nothing much left standing in the general vicinity of where you landed.  Okay, here you go!

Terrific, Callie!!!  Any questions out there???  If so, write them in a comment!  And come see us!  Maybe Callie will demonstrate her jumping technique for you!  Bye bye!

No, wait!  One more thing!  Does your kitty ride places in the car with you?  I mean cats don't usually like to be as undignified as dogs, but sometimes it does happen.  So . . . please be aware that car travel can be very hazardous for kitties in hot weather.  Just don't leave your kitty in the car, even for a minute!

Feline Friday - A. J.

A.J. is a beautiful brown tabby estimated to be 5 yrs. old.

A.J. has it all!  She is friendly, affectionate, and laid back.    She gets along with everybody including kids, other cats and even dogs! She sounds like a kitty that would fit right into any family.

She came to us along with 2 other cats, from the same owner, who have since been adopted.  Her owner moved out-of-state and is now living in an apartment.

She has been well cared for.  Since she came to us she has been to the vet for tests and updates on all of her shots.  She has also been spayed. When adopted she will have a micro chip placed under her skin with the owner’s contact information.  StreetCats will also pay for the first year of registration with HomeAgain.

If you are interested in meeting A.J., 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 StreetCats and introduce you to A.J.  I’m sure that she would love to meet you, too!

Toys!

Did everybody see it??   The last time I, Vanna, wrote,  I got a comment!  It was from Paula.  I had written about Millie, our Main Coone cat, and so Paula wrote about her Maine Coon cat!  Isn't that just so neat!  I am so happy about that!  So everyone go back to my last post and read Paula's comment and then you can also tell me about your Maine Coon cat!  And if you have any questions that you would like to ask me, put them in a comment and I will answer them!  Well, at least I would if I were going to be here.  But I believe that this is the week that my forever family will come to get me and take me home.  I'll ask the next blogger cat to answer your questions!  If she even knows the answer.

Okay, now about the toys.  Well, it's like this.  All our human volunteers love us.  Right?  Right!  And I'm pretty sure they all love us a whole bunch!  I mean why wouldn't they?!  But some of them come to see us more often than others.  Some we only see every couple of weeks.  I think that's because they have a life, right?!  Other volunteers, not so much, and we see them more often.  Oh wait, did that sound mean?  What I meant is that of course all our humans would be here every minute if they possibly could because that's how much they love us.  But some of them have other things they have to do.  Understand?

One of the volunteers that we see a lot of is Linda Duckworth.  I was so excited when I heard her name because I thought it meant that she is worth a lot of ducks and would bring some of them to us to play with.  Well, she does like to play, as you will see.  But she hasn't brought us any of those ducks.  Darn!  Her two cats and one dog are so lucky to have ducks!  I bet her husband likes them, too.  I'm jealous!  Anyway, she comes to see us a lot so I've gotten to know her pretty well.  She likes me the best of all the kitties.  And since that's the truth, maybe I'll just ask her about those ducks.  (I prefer baby ones.  The big ones can be mean!)

So she comes here because she has always loved animals, especially cats, right?  And she used to be a volunteer at SPCA and was a zoo docent!  Wow!  Great BIG cats there!  She's been coming to see us here at StreetCats for a couple of years now.  When she's not here she comforts herself with things like reading, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, arts and crafts, even horseback riding!  She would rather be here than doing any of those things, but she has to give someone else a turn!  I mean really! And she does take turns because she is a very unselfish person.  I know her well enough to know that!

Oh yeah, you're probably wondering about the title of this blog . . . toys.  Well, I have not yet told you the entire truth about Linda Duckworth.  And what I have not told you is the REAL, most IMPORTANT reason she comes to StreetCats.  Now I must admit I find this a little strange, but to each her own, right?!  Okay, here it is.  She comes here to play with our toys.  No, really!  You think humans don't like to play with cat toys?!  Well, here, let me show you!  She not only plays with them, she counts them.  She organizes them, she helps order them, she's even getting them ready for Affair of the Heart which will be coming up soon.  We will have a booth there and I bet she takes a bunch of our toys there to play with, too.  If you go there, you can see our toys and she might even let you buy some.  Because she is, remember, unselfish.  Or is it unshellfish?  Anyway, you know what I mean.

Okay, here's my proof . . . Linda Duckworth playing with our toys!  Ha!  Told you so!!  Thank you, Linda, for being our helper!  Would you still come if we didn't have toys?!

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!

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!

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!