Hello Heloise

We weren't planning to add a new family member when we went to PetCo last Tuesday. We were just shopping for pet food. We love to look at the adoptable animals though, so we stopped into the adoption center Kansas City Pet Project has in the store to visit the pets.

We went into one room of dogs where I spotted an old lady named Heloise. She was 11 years old and just broke my heart. I had to leave; it killed me to see her there. We went around to see the rest of the pets then finished our shopping.

Lee ran into her again while a volunteer was taking her out for a bathroom break. The volunteer told him what a sweet dog she was and that if he knew of anybody looking to adopt, to tell them about her. He came back to where I was shopping and said, "We have to adopt that dog." My response? "Okay."

We finished our shopping and took our stuff out to the car. On the way back in, the volunteer was outside with another dog. Lee told her we knew of someone who wanted to adopt the old dog: Us. She was so happy she started to cry. We went back to the KCPP adoption area, asked a few questions (Is she cat safe? Does she like other dogs?) and filled out the paperwork.

We then went shopping some more. This geriatric princess was about to be spoiled. We bought her a bed, a collar and leash, a bowl, some toys, and a pretty pink jacket. She was going home in style.

Freedom Ride

She has settled in nicely at home.

Look at me! I can sit on the furniture!

 She is getting along with the cats and they are accepting her. Stilwell keeps rubbing up against her.

Heloise and Stilwell helping Dad build a fire.

 Harvey is very interested in her, too.

Harvey getting a sniff of the new dog.

All of the cats love her bed.

There's a line to test out the dog bed.

We've already taken her shopping for some new clothes. What girl doesn't need a Hello Kitty hat?

We've all gotten quite comfortable with our new arrangement. Heloise is sweet and friendly. No matter what her life was like before, she will know love and what it's like to have a family for her senior years.

Featured Furry: Phylo

This week's Featured Furry is a senior kitty named Phylo. Poor guy has really had his world turned upside down. He had lived with his family for 10 1/2 years when he was surrendered to Wayside Waifs in Kansas City. Unfortunately, one of his humans is battling leukemia and the doctors said it would be best if there were no cats in the home. So, Phylo is now at Wayside looking for a new home.

Phylo is about 11 1/2 years old and is a rather large domestic shorthair cat weighing in at 22 pounds. He's pretty laid back and isn't much into playing. He would make a great pal for someone who wants a cat to keep them company around the house. He doesn't get along with other cats, so he'd like to be the only kitty in the family.

Mom and I talked about it and we don't think the doctors were right in this case. We think both Phylo and his human are worse off for not being together during this difficult time. Unfortunately, that's the way things are now. Phylo looks pretty depressed and really, why wouldn't he be? I hope that his stay at Wayside is as short as possible and that he finds a caring family that will understand his situation.

Keep in mind, November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month. Petfinder.com has a great article outlining the Ten Reasons Senior Cats Rule. Take a look at the article, then come over and meet Phylo. He'd like a chance to get to know you and show you himself why he'd make a great addition to your family.

Featured Furry: Fast Forward

This week's Featured Furry has a funny name: Fast Forward. He is 9 years old and was admitted to Wayside Waifs as a stray. He was quite matted when he arrived, so he had to have a haircut, but I'm sure his full coat is beautiful!

He has a cool little crinkly ear too. It really adds character, don't you think?

He's very friendly and loves to be petted. He will need to be groomed to keep his long coat in tip-top shape, but that's just another way to have some quality time together!

Check out his video on his page and you'll see Mom petting him and talking about him. She just better not think about bringing him home!

UPDATE: Fast Forward has gone to his forever home!

Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Week: Jaguar

This is post #5 in the series. You can read post #6 at A Tonk's Tail...er, Tale...

Today's guest blogger is Kathryn Bloomer. She's the hostess with the mostess for the kitty parties during the mornings at Wayside Waifs. She spoke with Jaguar who is available for adoption at Wayside Waifs in Kansas City. This is what he had to say about his situation:

Hi, I’m Jaguar and I’m a 12-year-old shelter cat.  That makes me a senior cat, and it’s not easy being a senior shelter cat, because, well, seems like everyone wants a kitten.  But we seniors have our attractions as well, the first being – we’re not kittens!  No curtain climbing, no screaming banshee raids from room to room, no sudden ankle attacks – well, not usually.  We senior cats know how to savor life one dignified step at a time.

I can tell you from experience that shelter life isn’t easy for us seniors.  For one thing, being a senior is a little like having a hangover 24/7.  You know – everything hurts, you hate bright lights and loud noises, you’re a little cranky, the brain is a little fuzzy, you don’t want to have to learn anything new, you don’t move very fast, and most of all you just want to go home and go to bed. So we senior cats are usually to be found napping.

We senior cats might act a little depressed here at the shelter, missing the old life maybe. And if we look a little scruffy, well, sometimes it’s hard to get excited about grooming when surrounded by a new environment, new faces, and the occasional noisy visitor who likes to poke us to see if we’ll respond.  Just ask my friend Annabella about the visitor who kept poking at her just to see her slap at him.  “Oh, I like to box with cats – they enjoy it!” the guy said.  Grrrr.  Is it any wonder that we get a little swatty sometimes? 

But just because we might get a little grouchy at the shelter doesn’t mean we will stay that way.  I mean, you get cranky at work sometimes don’t you?  And then you like to go home to the cozy sanctuary of your home?  It’s like that for us, too.  We just want to go to a quiet, cozy home, where we can nuzzle you in peace, climb into your lap, and give you the loving that you deserve.  Then we will blossom.  We will get a new spring in our step, take extra care in our grooming and probably look and act years younger.

I’ve heard some visitors say that older cats don’t bond as well to new people. Excuse me?  I don’t know about you, but when I meet that special someone, I don’t care how old I am, I’m gonna love on them like crazy – make up for lost time, you know? 

It takes a special person to adopt a senior cat.  I may not have as many years left as the younger cats, but we indoor cats have pretty long life spans – 16, 18, maybe 22 or 23.  And then after I’m gone, that will make room for another sweet kitty in your life. 

How will you know that I’m the senior kitty for you?  Just come and visit me. I’ll look up into your eyes, and you’ll know…you’ll know.

Thank you Kathryn and Jaguar! I can understand where Jaguar is coming from. When Mom adopted me I was 7 years old. Not elderly, but certainly not a kitten. She saw the benefits of adopting an older cat and we have lived in harmony ever since! 

Day 3 of Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Week: Capone

It's the third day of Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week and I'm writing about another doggy that I want to #BeTheChange for. His name is Capone and he's a 7 year old Rottweiler mix. He's available for adoption at Wayside Waifs in Kansas City and has been waiting for his forever home since early June. He's got a great video! Check him out in action!

Capone could be considered less adoptable because of his breed, his coat color or his age. But after watching his video, his age clearly isn't a problem! He's as active as a puppy! His former family had glowing things to say about him:


Doesn't Capone look like he would make a great pet? I think so and so does Mom. In fact, she said if we had a house, we would adopt him ourselves. *sigh* I guess he'll have to make a fun pal for someone else.