Newcomers

Sirroco and her kittens, one boy and 3 girls are among the latest cats and kittens who have made it into a Pet Haven foster home. Momma is a black short hair, she has 2 black girls and one brown tabby girl. The brown tabby and white is the male.

In the picture below you can see that one of the black kittens has hair that looks a little different - the one on the right. Her hair-do is a little 'wilder' looking and she will probably be a medium hair. Everyone else is a short hair.

Mom came to a volunteers home on 9/21. She had her kittens on 9/22.

And, in the grown-up version of a cat who will shortly make the adoption list is Oliver. He is a gray point Himalayan.

When he came to Pet Haven his coat was in very poor shape, his back claws were ground down to nubbins and one foot was infected (we assume he was digging to get away from something), and he had a limp. He had very little top coat so didn't show his gray coloring on his back and sides.

The limp turned out to be healed damage to his pelvis and the ball of his femur and he has since had 'head and neck' surgery on that leg. This removes the 'ball' of the femur and a portion of the femur. When his muscles strengthen he will walk with just a small limp and not have the pain from the malformered hip joint and ball. He has a medium length coat, not the longer one that is sometimes seen in a himalayan.

He has the typical large, round blue eyes and was busy grooming when a volunteer tried to take a picture.

Oliver will do best in an adult home with cat experience. He is very friendly, not shy but does bite occasionally. His foster home says he signals when he is tired of you doing whatever you are doing with him - holding him, petting, etc. He gives a low grumble/growl and if you stop, there is no bite.

Adoption Sunday, 9/27 in 2 locations

The time is 1-3 p.m. and we will be at the PetCo in Richfield and the Chuck and Don's in Bloomington. Both are on Lyndale, one north of 494 and one south. Close enough that if you don't see what you want at one adoption, you can stop by the other one!

We have some 'new' cats or kittens attending:

Wakota - very petite and charming! A very busy, playful girl who gets along well with another cat and loves to follow you around. Have a shoulder that needs to be kept warm? She'll snuggle right in.

And Muffy - the lover of the litter of 4 kittens which include Hermie, Linguini and Frieda. All are very playful and Muffy likes to snuggle best.

Teddy Bear will be back - hoping to charm his way into someone's life and lap -

Nikita Banana - ever hopeful! He's been with us awhile and no one can understand why someone hasn't fallen in love with him -

He's great with dogs, big or small.

He's playful.

He has a squeaky, high pitched meow which is quite charming.

He's a lap fellow and loves to have you play with him.

Better in an adult home as he will give love bites when wound up if you try to pet him then. He's a bit bossy with another cat so it has to be one who wants to wrestle and romp but he'd love to have your undivided attention too!

June is a people loving little lady. She's very playful and a cute little brown tabby torti with white. Just a kitten.

Recent Adoptions

In the last 2 weeks we've had a flurry of adoptions:

Tim has joined a new family and is busy winning over the resident cat.

Abbie has also found a new home with a family who recently had another torti die. Ms. Dot-on-the-head Abbie is a chatty little girl and she is charming them with her unique and clever personality.

James and Casper, unrelated to each other, came to Pet Haven from another shelter in MN and were adopted together.

Casper hid under the bathtub for a couple days but not Mr. make-myself-at-home James who loved exploring the new digs.

The 11 yr. old son engages them in active cat-person games which they both love. Casper enjoys peering out at your from under the afghan with just his head showing when he isn't playing around.

Blaine has joined a new family and is working on becoming friends with the resident cat and has already found a new friend in the newfoundland dog!

Max is off and running at his new home also after a day or two of hiding out in the basement. He is going to be joined by a dog later this year which we think he will love - another buddy to play with! The picture of Max shows him at one of his visits to Chuck and Don's Pet Food Store in Highland.

Since the middle of May we have placed 10 cats or kittens because of Chuck and Don's invitation to spotlight a Pet Haven cat at the Highland store. It has been a wonderful partnership for all of the families who have found a new cat and has allowed Pet Haven to help even more cats this summer - a time of the year when adoptions can be slow. If you see a cat at the Highland store that you are interested in, fill out an adoption application found at our website PetHavenMN.org and you will receive a prompt call in return.

We continue to hold regular adoption events twice a month, usually the first Sat. of the month and the third Sunday. Stop by and visit, check us out at PetHavenMN.org, click on Cats Available for Adoption.

New Volunteer Orientation

Our next New Volunteer Orientation will be on Saturday September 26th from 10 AM - Noon at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park. Pet Haven is extremely grateful to the Doubletree Hotel for hosting our new volunteer orientations and providing us with a great room at NO COST!

Whether you're brand new, or have been volunteering with us for a while, this orientation is a great way to find out more about Pet Haven and ways to get involved!

UC San Diego lists the following 10 ten reasons to volunteer:

#10 - It's good for you

#9 - It saves resources and provides a valuable community resource

#8 - Volunteers gain valuable experience

#7 - It brings people together

#6 - It promotes growth and self-esteem

#5 - Volunteers strengthen our community

#4 - You learn a lot

#3 - You get a chance to give back

#2 - Volunteering encourages civic responsibility

#1 - You make a difference ...

[Source: UC San Diego Community Service site]

At Pet Haven, we have the following to add to the list .....

- It's fun!

-We are a community with a shared passion for helping homeless dogs and cats

- We will provide you with opportunities to develop your leadership skills

- Even if you can't foster (although we would of course love it if you could!), we need foster buddies, help with transportation ... and need help in areas of fundraising, marketing, special events, administrative work, photography, writers, graphic design, phone work, advocacy, outreach/humane education, volunteer management, communication, and the list goes on!!

- If you are looking to enhance your resume, volunteering is a great way to make your resume stand out [check out the Pioneer Press article this past Sunday on "Volunteer Work just might set your resume apart"]

Our volunteer guiding principles are based on the 5C':

- Community

- Compassion

- Collaboration

- Creativity

- Communication

If you're already involved with Pet Haven but have never gone through an orientation .... this is a great way to learn more about other volunteer opportunities. If you're new to Pet Haven, come learn more about Pet Haven ... our vision, our mission, our philosophies, our approach, where are animals come from, upcoming events, the animal welfare landscape in Minnesota, the importance of spay/neuter ... and of course, how to get involved and start making a difference!

Email our volunteer director Jen at volunteer@pethavenmn.org to register for the session on Saturday!

Lover boy?

Are you looking for a lover boy? Ira, also known as Tenor for his 'talky' ways, might be the fellow for you.

We think he'd love to be an only cat although he gets along with another cat just fine too - after a very slow introduction during which he has lots of grumbling to do. He is fostered with two other cats.

Adoption events are tough for Ira - he's out of his element and not happy to see the other cats there - most of them aren't nearly as handsome as he is! Of course, that is a matter of opinion.

His foster parents would be happy to show him to you in their home so you can see all his cute ways. Ira is under a year old.

Pet Blanket Making Party

Can you cut with scissors and tie a basic knot? Then we need your help!

Pet Haven is having a get-together to make pet blankets that we'll sell at Twice the Gift (http://twicethegift.org/), the non-profit fundraising opportunity that we participated in last year and will be part of again this year.

We're meeting on Oct. 3 at the Minneapolis Washburn Public Library (http://www.hclib.org/AgenciesAction.cfm?agency=Wn) from 1-4:30 p.m. We'll provide the fleece and some refreshments/snacks. What we need are your hands, scissors (fabric scissors if you have them, regular scissors if you don't - just label them so you get them back!), and laughter!

Please RSVP by emailing outreach@pethavenmn.org if you can join us, and feel free to bring a friend! We need all the help we can get!

Thank you!!!

Cynthia Farrell
Director of Outreach

Newer kids

Kati is one of the girls who came to us this summer when her home was foreclosed on.

She and a kitten of hers, who has since been adopted, were left behind and they came to Pet Haven to find a new home. Kati is a busy, playful girl.

She plays a lot and loves to be around you. She isn't much of a cuddler although you can hold her in your arms like a baby. She purrs and purrs, even when she wants to get down. Kati plays a little roughly - she'll invite you to give her a tummy rub but finds it over-stimulating and will nip then.

Kati hopes someone will want to see her in her foster home because she is very stressed and grumbly at adoption events - it's hard to be on display when you aren't the kind of girl who would choose to go to the store to be adopted. Her pleasant personality is best enjoyed at home.

James and Casper are newbies to our adoption program also. Both are easy going fellows. Casper does well with another cat who isn't too wild and crazy - he wants that limelight to be his own. He runs through the house with his catnip strawberry in his mouth and stretches out on the floor to relax.





James is very easy-going, good with another cat, a small dog, children, adults - all's fine in his world. He and Casper came from the same shelter and go well together but do not have to be adopted together.