Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Week

Mom received a new #BeTheChange challenge when she was at BlogPaws in Denver last weekend. September 19-25 is "Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Week" as designated by PetFinder. The challenge was to put the spotlight on pets who might have a more difficult time finding their forever homes. Which pets fit this description? A pet might be considered "less adoptable" for a variety of reasons. Maybe it's a senior pet. It could be a pet with special needs. It might simply be the color of the pet's coat! Check out Petfinder's page to get the stats on these special pets. You might be surprised which ones are harder to place in homes.

Mom sees her share of "less adoptable" pets during the time she spends at Wayside Waifs. You can read about some of these pets Mom has cared for in previous posts of mine. Do you remember Luke or Thumper? Mom blogged about Annie, a long time resident at Wayside Waifs who finally found a home after a year in the shelter. All this week, I'm going to be featuring different pets who fall into this category.

Today, I'd like to share the story of Andromeda with you. Andromeda is a shy, one-year old girl who has been available for adoption since early July. When you approach her kennel, she will walk up to the front and and rub against the door. She acts like a kitty who wants attention. Unfortunately, if you open the door and reach inside, your hand is going to get swatted. Andromeda is afraid of hands. She is usually very polite and doesn't use her claws, but she makes it clear that you need to stay back! She plays very well with toys and seems to enjoy this kind of attention from people, but she isn't comfortable with you getting in her personal space.

It's hard for a family who is looking to adopt a pet to feel a connection with Andromeda if she won't even allow you to stroke her. She needs a special adopter who will understand her fears. She might also be a good choice for an adopter who is looking for a more independent kitty. Keep this in mind if you are looking to adopt: Pets are under a great deal of stress while they are in a shelter. Once they get into their forever home and have time to adjust, they will relax and may show a completely different personality!

It's possible that YOU could #BeTheChange for a pet like Andromeda! Please keep an open mind and an open heart when looking to add to your family.

Let Me Introduce Myself

Hello! My name is Sebastian. I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you a little about myself.

I'm a senior kitty who was recently adopted and am now living in my new forever home. My mom and I met while she was volunteering at the shelter I was at. She came into the hug room I was living in and sat down on the floor with me. I knew right away that I liked her, so I climbed onto her lap and laid down. She petted me for a very long time while I purred away. Two days later, she came back and told me I was going home with her! What a wonderful surprise!

Living here has been wonderful. I have a sisfur, Dottie, who is a guinea pig. She has been very sweet to me. She introduced me to Twitter and all of her anipals on there. I thought it was very nice of her to share her Twitter time with me. I try to always let her go first, since she is the Queen around here. I figure it's only fair.

When I first moved in, I had some tummy issues. Every other day, Mom would give me treats and I would throw up soon after eating them. Mom was very understanding. While she was cleaning it up one time, she saw me watching her. I felt bad that Mom was working so hard on the carpet because of a mess I had made. She could tell that I was feeling ashamed and sad. She just looked at me and said, "It's okay, Sebastian. I know it was an accident. I'm sorry your tummy is icky." I couldn't believe it! I thought she must be the nicest person in the world to not be mad over the mess on the carpet. I realized right then that she was a great human and that I wanted to be the best kitty in the world so she wouldn't give me away like my last humans had.

I worried a lot about being sent back to the shelter. I would cuddle with Mom and purr as loudly as I could to make her think I was a good kitty. One night, I got on Mom's lap while she was in bed. I looked at her and tried my best to make her understand what I was feeling. Somehow, she understood! She said to me, "Don't worry, Sebastian. This is your forever home now. You're safe and will live with me from now on." Then she kissed me and hugged me and we cuddled for a long time. I felt so relieved!

Soon, Mom took me to my first visit with my new V-E-T. Mom explained the tummy issues I was having. The V-E-T said I have a sensitive stomach and needed to be on special food. Mom went right over after our visit and bought me the new food. She said it only makes sense that I have a sensitive stomach, since I also have a sensitive soul. It's like she has known me forever. I think we are meant to be together. I just wish I would have met her sooner.

Mom thought that since I seemed to be able to convey my feelings to her so easily, that I should have my own outlet for my thoughts, ideas and stories. She said that I could have my own blog, so here I am! I hope to meet lots of new anipals on here in addition to the ones I already have on Twitter. Feel free to post comments or questions. I hope that you find my adventures and activities interesting and that they inspire you to have some adventures of your own.

Welcome to Sebastian The Sensitive Soul!