Dougie

I've been meaning to write you for a week or so. Dougie is blossoming beautifully! Jim said a week or so ago, "You need to e-mail Deb and tell her how wonderful Dougie is and how much we love him." Those words are uncommonly high praise coming from any man, but especially from Jim

Dougie and Oliver play well together. They roughhouse gently and play tag and other games. They nap together during the day, and Oliver grooms Dougie, especially around his face. It's just adorable! Dougie has tried to play with Claire, but she just runs off. Oh, well, that may happen someday as well.

Dougie also snuggles with the dogs, who tolerate his snuggling more so than Oliver's. Sometimes Oliver's snuggles turn into wrestling, and Oliver wrestles harder than the dogs like, sometimes biting them -- gently by cat standards, but too rough for a dog who was napping.

When I'm working at my desk, Dougie keeps watch from one corner of the desk, my table or his perch on the tall cat furniture (condo) between my desk and the slider. At night, he usually sleeps next to my pillow, but occasionally he sleeps in the crook of Jim's body.

He runs at top speed when he plays and when he awakens and figures out where we are. He talks more than any other cat we've lived with, and calls out when he can't find us. It's so flattering to have him come running whenever I call him and when I come home. He is one of the most affectionate cats I've ever known.

We just love him, Deb! What a sweetheart is he. Thank you for bringing him into our lives.

Dr. Lee Pickett

Gingersnap

Just want to let you know that we are celabrating Gingersnap's one year anniversary with us today April 1st and it is also her ninth birthday. A more wonderful kitty we couldn't have found, we love her very much. She is such a sweet kitty.

Darlene

Salem

At the time of writing this, Salem, our wonderful orange tabby, is 9 months old.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect kitten. She adores people, loves to play and while she is a bit mischievous at times, her curiosity is endearing. Until Salem, we never knew cats played fetch, but she loves to tear off after her toy and bring it back for throw after throw. She sleeps at our feet, is excited when we come home and is the best company we could ask for.

There isn't too much we can really say that does her justice, she is perfect!

Amber & Jonathan

For updated pics of Salem click here.

Barnaby

He was a drop off, and whoever threw him out made a big mistake that became my gain. His name, Barnaby, is perfect, and he is my best friend. He picked me out when I saw him at One by One and we have been inseparable ever since.

Meeting Barn was without a doubt the best thing that ever happened to me and changed my health and my life for the better.

I love him to pieces.

Ron

Cameo

We adopted Cameo in January of 2001. She had been dropped off at someone's house and spent 6 months at the shelter without even one person coming to look at her.

I saw her picture on the petfinder website and her adorable little face caught my eye, so I went to see her. She had a dull gray coat and was very shy, and I was told she had not made a peep during her whole stay at the shelter. I almost decided to consider another cat, but I felt bad that she had been in the shelter so long with no visitors, so I decided I would give her a home.

Now three years later, I have a beautiful silvery gray tiger with fur that is bunny soft, a constant talker that meows even more than my Oriental cats do, and a little lovey girl that butts her head against mine and inclines the top of her head towards me for kisses.

It took about a year for her to really come out of her shell, but it was well worth the wait. I can't imagine my life without her.

Wendy H

Jazzy

We adopted Jazzy (who was Buffy Buffy at the shelter) in February 2002. Jazzy was very shy, barely ever venturing out of the cage she spent almost all her time in. Jim and I were taken by her all the same, knowing that if given the chance, she could blossom into a more social kitty.

We made very slow progress at first, with Jazzy spending the first three weeks she was with us under the bed except to eat and use her litterbox. A major milestone was when we could move her litterbox to the basement and her food and water dishes to the kitchen so she could mingle more with her "brother" and three "sisters".

Slowly she started to explore more of the house, although still preferring a quiet spare bedroom upstairs for her naps. The next step was when Jazzy bonded with our male orange tabby, Boston. They've become the best of friends, grooming each other and wrestling.

It took almost a year, but Jazzy spends most of the day napping in a warm, cozy spot in our family room or watching the birds in our backyard and evenings curled up with us on the sofa. She sleeps on the bed with us every night and loves her daily snacks of milk and tuna.

She's still shy with strangers, but she's very talkative with Jim and I and we love her to pieces. We always comment on her huge eyes and how blessed we are to be able to share our home with her. Jazzy just needed some time and patience, and given that, she's rewarded us many times over with her sweet disposition and beauty.

Lori Wetzel and Jim Heiney

Prince Michi Dermot

Once upon a time there was a tiny baby Prince. Somehow he became separated from his family. The poor baby Prince was cold and hungry and started to cry. Somehow his Tante Kathy heard his tiny cries and looked down in a groundhog hole to see the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. Tante Kathy took the baby Prince home and warmed him up and gave him warm milk to drink.

After his long ordeal the Prince fell fast asleep. When he awoke in the morning Tante Kathy again filled his royal tummy with warm milk and told him they were off to an "adoption day" what ever that was. When they got to the "adoption day" lots of these two legged creatures looked at the baby Prince and said how handsome he was but no one wanted to take home a Prince so young.

Along came his soon to be mom and she was smitten at first sight!! She took him home to "foster" him but the Prince didn't know what that meant all he knew is that he was warm, happy and had a full tummy any time he wanted one.

As the days past the mom and her Prince fell more & more deeply in love. They were inseparable! The Prince even traveled to Niagara Falls in his mom's pocket because the people at the hotel didn't want baby Princes to stay there so he had to travel under cover.

The Prince grew & grew and though it was next to impossible he grew more handsome by the day. The young Prince found he had a way with the girl ones!! All he had to do was flash that sexy squint (the Prince is cross eyed) at a girl one & she was his!!

After several months the Prince's mom told him they would be going on a very long journey. They drove for two very long days and finally arrived at the Princes new castle in FL. Here the Prince spends his days surveying his Princedom, being adored by his girl ones and his mom and drinking all the cold ba ba he wants from the frig. He can even drink from the giant water bowl in his rear lounge.

And so goes the tale of the Prince Michi Dermot who at this writing is 2 years, seven months and eight days old. May he live forever!!

Shen

Shen (formerly Hurry) is one of our farthest traveled, former shelter kitties.

He lives in a mountain home near Guerneville, CA. He was originally adopted for his owner Nancy's, mother. But, when she didn't really want to have a kitty,

Shen went home to CA with Nancy where he has lived happily for the last 4 years.

He also has a dog buddy, Tory.

Jassy

After I moved to FL my husband was still working & living in PA. He had kept one of our cats, Buttin, with him for company but Buttin wanted feline companionship.

Jassy had been in the shelter for some time and was about 7 years old. Buttin's mom was black & white like Jassy and Buttin always had a thing for the black & white cats in our house and so it was decided that Jassy would be good company.

Jassy was good company even though she grumbles a lot. That's it, just grumbling. We think it's because she is declawed and she knows it so she's crabby but it's endearing in it's own way.

When my husband was traveling more than he was home he brought Jassy & Buttin down to FL to join the "heard".

Jassy loves to lay out on the lanai and sun herself and drinks from the pool. When I see her and give her a hug she grumbles and purrs at the same time!

Now my husband is retired and we are all here, just one big happy bunch of kitties and a couple of humans who serve them.

Patches

Patches (formerly Bridgett) was born as a feral kitten, tamed, and adopted by Cathy and Jim through One by One. Her friend Nicky came from another rescue, too. Here's what her mom has to say about the pampered pair!!

Would you believe that after two years and three months of living with us, Patches suddenly decided that she could begin to trust us-she is especially fond of Jim, but has gotten warmer to me as well. Starting about six weeks ago, she has begun to really like being in our laps and even sometimes comes to us to be picked up-we were at the point that we thought she would always be aloof and had accepted her for that, but this is so much nicer. I'm sure she likes life better this way as well....

Nicky on the other hand, loves any and everyone, he spends lots of time just purring. He is wired and sometimes runs and runs all over the house while making erie noises for several minutes at a time. He once jumped through the railing of the second floor (fortunately, he wasn't hurt). He is strange but very lovable. They are total opposites.

Patches is like an old mother to Nicky, always washing him. Usually these wash sessions last a minute or two before a wrestling match breaks out. Patches is also the boss of the pair and clearly lets Nicky know when she's not happy. Nicky just looks at her as if to say "what's wrong". He never gets upset -we have never heard him "hisses" but Patches is frequently hissing at him. Her anger lasts about 30 seconds and then they are buddies again.

Esse & Punkin

Esse cat here (A.K.A Esmeralda) with a note to let you know how my pal Punkin and I are doing since our adoption. After a rough start in a not so great home and then being abandoned, we were due for some good luck.

Our first good luck was being picked-up by a caring neighbor and placed with 1 by 1 rescue. We were cared for in Deb's house while the vet took care of some minor problems and got ourselves togeather. Thanks to the Vet, Deb, and all the 1 by 1 volunteers! There were many other cats there to hang out with but we were shy and afraid of the uncertain future.

Our next bit of good luck was being adopted together. Even though Punkin is a big pain sometimes, it is nice to have a special friend to share things with. Our people first saw us at the Petco Adoption day in Jan and after a follow-up visit we had a home of our own! Punkin thinks he was the main attraction but we all know better.

We live in a nice country home with a large screened deck with a lot of chairs to sleep on. Our small staff of two people had previous cat care experience and didn't require a lot of additional training to meet our needs. They seem to like to pick us up & pet us a lot. It makes them happy so we purr and let them think we like it too. Since we are the only cats here and no dogs or kids we have their full attention. While I have a lot of things to do like chasing flies, playing with toys & watching birds, Punkin is getting lazy. After watching birds for a little while he perfers to take it easy, nap on the bed and eat. He may soon need that treadmill down stairs, he is getting a little fat. I must say, the food is real good.

Well, say hello to all the 1 by 1 volunteers and I hope all our cat friends at the shelter soon find homes like we did.

Yours,

Esse & Punkin

Carrot Top

We adopted Carrot Top in March, and for those of you know him, you understand how much he needed a home to run wild in and claim his position as the "top cat". His bold personality was his hallmark and his downside at the shelter, in that he charmed many volunteers but at the same time he was difficult for some of the other cats to adjust to. He now lives with his new family in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia.

I visited with him on Saturday and he is doing very well. He likes sitting in the downstairs windows watching my dad cut the lawn and plant flowers, and he also enjoys sniffing the air and watching birds through the screens. He has been struck hard with spring fever and everyone is on hyper-alert to keep him from sneaking out. As you know, he is a runner and loves to sprint around the house, so we worry that if he gets outside he will race away. We get a kick out of watching him charge at full speed onto his cat condo. He definitely has lots of spunk and personality, and I know that he is missed by many of the volunteers (but probably not the other One By One cats in the big room).

He has made dear friends with my parents' other cat, Tootsie (don't ask me why my parents picked that name, it's beyond me). Tootsie is a large speckled grey/dark grey cat who is very quiet and shy, but she has become fast friends with Carrot. They eat together and she relaxes when he is in the same room, which is unlike her behavior toward the two previous cat residents. She would always be very mindful of where the other male cats were, watching what they were doing in case it involved pouncing on her. Just last week my mom saw Carrot cleaning her head.

Carrot is still on the One By One schedule, specifically the time when the volunteers leave in the evening. Around 9:30 every evening he starts bugging my mom to head to bed (she works a 7am shift as a nurse so this is generally her bed time), waiting at the steps for her. He usually sleeps on the bed with her, and then roams a little during the night and is back again. When she gets up at 5:30, he is not hungry but my dad says he wants to eat around 7:30-8:00.

Everyone is so happy that Carrot Top came into their lives. He has filled the void left by our two recently deceased cats, one of which had a personality similar to Carrot's. We will keep you posted on his new life in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Kathleen Walck and the Suchecki Family