Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week

This week PetFinder.com is celebrating Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week! What makes a pet less adoptable, you may ask? There are lots of factors that can make a wonderful pet seem "less adoptable" to potential pet parents. If the animal looks different (ie, missing an eye or leg), if they have a disability (deaf, blind), senior pets, pets with certain behavioral needs, disease status (such as being FIV+/FELV+), specific breeds (ie pit bulls), or even color can make a pet appear less adoptable. However, just because these pets may be different, does not mean that they do not offer the same amount of love. Let me tell you a story.

Last summer a human stopped at a Boy Scouts fundraising yard sale, hoping to find some treasures and support the kids at the same time. She noticed that a man had a big dog crate full of baby kittens, with a big "FREE" sign in front. This human was not a cat person, and lived in a small apartment with another human. But she went over and took a look. The crate was full of little black furballs, except for a single tabby furball, and from them she chose an all black kitten. This kitten, however, looked quite sad after being taken from her siblings, so the human went back and picked out another. A small, handsome, exceptional black and white kitten.


This human, unknowingly, had chosen two less adoptable pets. Both kittens were black, which sadly makes pets 50% less likely to be adopted than pets of other colors. Hard to believe, but it is true. A year later this human (who was not a cat person originally, if you remember) took in another cat, who is the ultimate "less adoptable" pet. He is a senior, FIV+, blind, different looking, and sick. He has an injury to one eye, making it look funny, and a disease in the other, making that one look funny too. This human turned out to be my mom, and I, of course, was the handsome black and white kitty. Myself, my sister Bruin, and my old man brother Odin make up a family of less adoptable pets. And mom loves us all.

Less adoptable does not mean less lovable. It simply means we are different. Pets like us wait an average of 4x longer for their forever home than do other pets. I was lucky, because my mom is one of those awesome people who loves those that others overlook. She picked me over my grey tabby littermate, after all. If you are looking for a new pet, please do not pass us over. We may be black, or older, or look or act a little different, but we are full of love. Please spread the word, and help "less adoptable" pets get adopted this week (and always).

Living with a senior cat

As many of you out there know, my mom recently rescued my new brother, Odin. He is an old cat. I am a young cat. This has caused some problems.

Mom is always reminding me that Odin is old. Sometimes I just think he is lazy, but mom says that is not the case. She tells me that old kitties are not as fast, and do not like to play as much. Especially old, blind kitties. I try to get him to play sometimes. I will lay on the kitchen chairs and tap his ear, or try and catch his tail when he lays in the window and let's it dangle over. Usually this results in Odin swatting me, sometimes with a claw (me-oooow!), and mom has to yell at me to leave Odin alone. I just think Odin needs to stop being cranky and lazy.

One thing that I have learned about old cats is that they get to poop on the floor. It is a double standard, I tell you, because when I was a kitten and pooped on the floor mom got real mad. Odin, however, gets praised when he poops on the floor. Mom even puts these special blankets down for him to use. Mom says it is because he cannot get into the box, but he seemed to sleep in my box perfectly fine the first night he came home. I do try to show him how to use the box - I poop in his all the time just so he will get the idea. He still seems clueless, and continues to poop on his special blankets on the floor that mom calls "Odin pads."

Odin is not allowed outside of the bathroom or kitchen. I've heard mom tell him it is because he has had "accidents" too often on the carpet. Mom REALLY hates when that happens. At night he gets to sleep in his own room, and I have to share mine with mom, dad, and my sister Bruin. We all share a bed even (mom likes to hog my spot a lot), and Odin gets a room all to himself. We also now have these tall plastic things that block our doors. I can jump over them, and Bruin could if she wanted to (which is not often), but Odin just sits in front of them. Mom says old kitties don't jump like young kitties do. I think he is giving up too easily. I have been told that these "gates" are to remind Odin that he cannot go into those rooms.

I don't mind having an old cat for a brother. He is nice to relax with, which we do together a lot. Life with an old cat is different, but not bad. I'm enjoying it.

Black cats = bad luck? Pfftt, please

I don't understand what all this talk is about black cats bringing bad luck. Yeah sure, there are days when mom thinks that crossing mine and my sister's path all those days ago was not the best thing to happen (like the days when one of us "forgets" to use the box, or I find the kitty treats that mom so tried to hide), but those moments quickly pass. I mean, come on, how can you stay mad at a kitty as handsome as me? But really, why do people think we bring bad luck? Is it something in our soft kitty purrs, in our beautifully shiny coat, or the way we love to snuggle? I simply don't understand it.

Did you know that ancient Egyptians believed black cats to be connected to the gods? Really, it's true. The Egyptians often worshiped us, the furry feline (I'd really like to know when this stopped, and how we cats can start this up again). Killing us was a capital offense! I wish that was true in the world today. I really like these ancient Egyptians.

In England and early America mom tells me that black cats used to be associated with witches. Witches are cool and all (I did watch Harry Potter with my mom and dad), but we black cats don't have any special connection to them. Nor do we have magical powers outside of being able to control the humans. If we did have these abilities I would not have to hunt down those treats mom keeps hiding on me. Sadly, I have yet to discover such powers.

Black cats, and other animals, have a more difficult time being adopted simply because we are black. We are adopted 50% less than other colored animals, which is silly, because we have just as much love to give. And we are so good looking!

Please people, give black cats a chance.

Thankful Thursday:

I will admit, I am a very thankful kitty. I let Mom and Dad know this all the time, with my musical meows and my lovable purrs. Today, I am going to tell you one of the things I am most thankful for:

BOXES!

That's right, I love them. Big ones, 

small ones,

really small ones,

I love them all! My favorite box of all, however, was the one that mom brought me and my sister Bruin home in.

Thankful Thursday

This Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for my wonderful mom and dad, who took in a new kitty that needed help.

This is Odin, the new kitty (we are not yet friends, but I am working on it). He is old, and sick, and mom says he can't see. He doesn't bother me, though he did eat my food that I was saving for later (mom just gave me more, so it was okay). He has funny looking eyes, and smells weird, and moves really slow, but mom says that is because he is old and not a young boy like me. Mom said that he was going to be killed if he did not come to stay with us. I did not want a new kitty friend (my sister is enough to deal with!), but so far, he is a pretty okay guy. As long as he stays away from my food!

So today, I am thankful for a mom and dad that care enough about kitties to help them. From now on though, I hope they can help them outside of my house. No more friends coming to stay.

Purrs from Boots!

Purrs and welcome! My name is Boots, and I am the feline face of Four Paw Savings. My mom, she writes Four Paw Savings, and after pestering her forever she finally agreed that I could have my own blog. After all, I do have a lot to say! I am a very talkative kitty.

This is me, helping mom with Four Paw Savings. Aren't I a handsome boy?

So when you are bored listening to me (like that could ever happen) you can stop over and check out my mom's site. She is pretty awesome, as far as humans go, and she helps lots of anipals and humans with her site.

Purrs.