Cats for Adoption: Get Ready for Winter With Snowflake and Snowball!

Snowflake and Snowball are 4-1/2 month old bonded brother and sister, spayed and neutered and all shots and tests already done. Snowflake is the girl, Snowball is the boy, but to tell you the truth I don't know one from the other! Each has a few small gray spots on their heads, but other than that they are pure white with green eyes—and no need to worry about deafness, both can hear perfectly well. Their rescuer says "they love to play, cuddle, and sleep in the bed with you and especially love each other."

I can tell you how special it is to live with bonded siblings. Not only do they adore each other, they have built-in playmates and so tend to have many fewer "behavior problems", playing more with each other and doing less of the things we humans tend to dislike. And you get two cats to play with and cuddle with and admire for as long as the next 20 years. Just being near them as they cuddle and purr is especially wonderful.

These two were rescued as tiny kittens from a stray and feral colony their rescuer has been getting under control this year, and if not for her they'd be eating out of dumpsters and ready to start reproducing. There are more kittens who were saved and who need to be saved from that place, so adopting these two would help open up new spaces for other cats to be rescued. And the best part: normally their adoption fee is $70 per cat to cover just the bare costs of all the veterinary care they received, but their rescuer wants them to stay together and reduced the adoption fee to only $50 for both of them. Please contact me if you are interested in adopting Snowflake and Snowball and I'll put you in touch with the rescuer right away!

"This is Chelsea. She is probably about 13 years old. I'm not sure exactly. She was one of my mom's cats that we ended up with when she lost her house and she was a shelter rescue as an adult cat back in February 2002. She is super friendly, fixed, and her front paws are declawed. She is mostly an indoor cat but goes into our back yard because it has 6 foot tall fences that she can't jump over. She would make an excellent cat for an older person or a senior home because she will sit on your lap all day if you let her. She is also a "talker" and loves interaction. Gets along great with our other cats and our 50lb dog. She is ok with the kids as long as they are gentle with her."

Losing jobs, losing homes, many of us have helped people in these situations. Sometimes it helps everyone, but sometimes it's a little too much for one household. A young woman asked me for help in finding homes for a few of the cats who came to live with her after her mother lost her home five years ago, and a few rescues. She had undertaken this as a temporary solution for her mother thinking her mother would take them back, but her mother's situation hasn't changed. It's not that she doesn't want them anymore but she really couldn't afford to take on extra cats in the first place, and she feels she can't care for them as she and her husband also have two young sons and the associated costs as they start school, and the cats they had already adopted and the dog they'd rescued. If someone is honest about their situation and asks for help, I'll give it to them, and I hope some of these cats can find new homes.

"This is Superman. SHE (yes, a she named superman) also answers to Super Kitty and just Super. She got her name from the way that she would climb up things really fast and then jump off, flying across the room, when she was a tiny kitten. She is super friendly and loves attention. She is fixed and her front paws are declawed. She is about 12 or 13. She was my younger brother's cat that he got after I left for college and then lived with my mom until she lost her house and we took her cats. She likes to be inside and outside, though I wouldn't put her out unless she has tall fences that she can't get over. She does great with the other cats and the dog. She's not fond of the small kids because they are rambunctious, but she tolerates them better than most of the cats do."

When she and her husband married each had a cat, then one adopted them (on their honeymoon). Then her mother lost her house she took her mother's three cat until she was able to take them back. They rent and would like to move to a larger place as their sons grow but have not been able to find a place willing to take them with 6 cats. "It breaks my heart to have to find them new homes but I know that they would get more attention than I can give them anyways," she said.

"This is Chandler. His full registered name with his micro-chip is Miss Chanandler Bong. We are big "friends" fans. He is a cat that we actually rescued on our honeymoon. He's about 6 years old, we've had him almost 5. He is fixed but still has his claws. He prefers to be indoors because he gets spooked easy unless he is fenced in. He is probably the biggest cat I have ever seen. We think he might be part Maine Coon. He's about the size of a Beagle. It breaks my heart to even be writing this because he is one of my babies. I know that he would take well to anyone that would love him though. He is a complete attention hog and loves to be on your lap, at your feet, or anywhere you are. He also follows around like a little puppy. He's also a "talker" a lot of the time. He's also an Alpha Male and dukes it out a lot with our other male cat....luckily with no blood shed because they both have claws. He's probably one of the best cats I have ever had, and I am crying right now while I write this."

Many of the cats are also getting older, and she is concerned about the needs they'll have when even now regular veterinary visits are difficult to afford with two children.

"This is Hawkeye, aka Benjamin Franklin Pierce....I love the TV show M*A*S*H. He's my cat. We don't know exactly how old he is. I think about 5-6. He was a rescue that chose me. He is amazing with the dog, he actually puts him in his place. He is okay with the other cats but doesn't like being around other males. He is fixed and still has all his claws. He prefers to be outside but will come in too...you just can't keep him in. When he came to us he was found wandering an apartment complex and has just never liked being inside. Six-foot fences can't hold him either. He wanders around the neighborhood and hunts. I'd say he'd be a good barn cat but he loves attention. I love coming home to have him run up to the door of the car to meet me. He likes to be pet a lot but isn't really a lap cat. He's ok with the kids, pretty much ignores them but will try to nip at them if they pull his tail. He also isn't so great at not scratching carpet.... that's is only downside. Again...crying like a baby. I really hate that I have to do this."

"We have another cat that is my mom's that we want to send you a picture of but she is skittish around the kids and keeps trying to run from the camera. Her name is Koda Bear, or Koda for short. She is a gorgeous cat. She would do best with no kids and other animals that are calm. She is like 8-9 I think. She is fixed and front declawed. She is a lap cat and loves attention, just not from toddlers. She is indoors only and won't even try to go out like our others do. I think she would do fabulous in a house with older kids and adults that could give her a lot of attention. She's a long hair gray torti." If I get a photo of Koda Bear, I'll add it here.

They sound like wonderful cats, and if anyone can help her out of her predicament, please contact me and I'll put you in touch with her.

All photos courtesy the kittens' foster homes.

And read about other kittens and adult cats who are looking for homes.

There are so many ways you can help cats who need homes and care. You may not have room to adopt another cat, but can foster a cat or kitten for a few weeks. If not that, you can volunteer at a shelter or with a rescue, or donate. You do this because you love your cat, and by doing so you help all cats. No matter which of these actions you take, you help to save a life, and make life better for all cats.

• Adopt one of the cats I've posted here, or from any shelter or rescue near you, or from Petfinder, to open up a space for another cat to be rescued and fostered.
• Offer to foster cats or kittens for a shelter or rescue near you.
• Volunteer at a shelter or rescue.
• Find a group of volunteers who work with homeless cats and help them with their efforts.
• Donate to a shelter or rescue near you.

If you can foster kittens or adults cats to help prepare them for a forever home, please run to your nearest shelter and find a cat who needs you! Anyone can help with this effort at any level, even if all you do is donate to a shelter or rescue so they can help to pay for the food or medications needed for their foster, or the spay/neuter/veterinary care during a clinic.

Need to know more? Read Fostering for Your Shelter and Fostering Saves Lives

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