Oh, boy . . . do I ever have my work cut out for me. *sigh* Hello, everyone! I'm Bandit, the shelter manager here at Cats Haven. And I'm taking a break from a BIG job tonight. See, I've got a slight problem. Being the shelter manager, it's up to me to handle certain situations when they arise. Situations like kittens playing hookey from kitten class, or Hattie bringing in live birds, or Barb dipping into the catnip. But tonight, well, I've got a different situation. Here's the deal. IndyFeral had this feral momcat who had a litter of kittens in a humane trap a few weeks ago. She and her kids came to Cats Haven so we could work with the kittens and get them friendly, and then we planned to get the momcat spayed so we could release her back into her feral colony. Well, the kittens are finally tame and we were getting the feral momcat into a carrier this evening so Sue could take her to be spayed on Sunday when all of a sudden, the momcat yelled "NO WAY, JOSE!!!!! LATER, LOSERS!!!!" and jumped over Barb, onto the floor, and out into the shelter. Despite Barb and Sue's attempts to stop her, she disappeared down the stairs and into the back room. Keep in mind that this kitty is completely feral and really doesn't like humans, so Barb says that it's up to me to talk to and reason with her, and get her to come out so we can get her spayed and released. So far, she's called me some really bad names . . . some of the words I've never even heard before! And they're NOT in the dictionary ... I looked! It's hard to believe that a mother could have a mouth like a sailor! So I've been negotiating with her for a couple of hours but thus far, no luck. I figured I'd take a break and blog before getting back to her. And just for the record, despite what she says, my mother did NOT wear army boots!!!

I've got lots and lots of stuff to talk about this time! First, I want to get a few "Thank Yous" out of the way. I'm sending out a big Thank You to the IVEC (Indianapolis Veterinary Emergency Hospital) for including us in their annual Pet Carnival last Saturday! Lela and Helen took kitties to this event, and they found homes for two Cats Haven residents! Woo hoo!! So a big Thanks goes to the IVEC, not only for having us at the Carnival, but also for the stuff they donated to us. And big Thanks also goes out to Lela and Helen for taking a part of their Saturday to represent us and finding homes for two of our kids despite it being kinda hot outside. And speaking of hot weather, big Thanks also go out to Tim Eversole and his gorgeous wife, Teresa (Raspberry still talks about you, y'know), for their recent donation towards mouse-cicles!!! YUMMEEEE!!!! I sent Lady Gwendolyn to our favorite ice cream shop down the street (it's called Critters Ice Cream) and she brought back mouse-cicles for us all. So thank you, Tim and Teresa, for the donation towards a wonderful sweet treat on a hot summer day! Finally, Thanks to Speck's Pet Supply in Brownsburg for hosting an adoption afternoon for us last Sunday. We had tons of fun and met lots of new people!

A few congratulations are in order, too. I'd like to congratulate Baby Willy for finding a great foster home!!! As you guys might remember, Willy is a kitten who lost a leg after he got it caught in a fence. So congrats to Willy, and to Wanda and her family for fostering this very cool little guy. And congratulations to Stuart Mouse who went home with his new mom, Cassie! And to my friend Loyce, I'd just like to say congratulations on your new sidewalk!! I'm thrilled for you!

Hey, in case any of you guys need stuff from Home Depot, stop by the Home Depot store at 2225 N. Post Road on Friday, July 24th, from 1 til 6 p.m.! We'll be there doing adoptions! We'll have catnip toys for sale as well as a few kitties available for adoption. We'd love to see you, so c'mon out and visit with us for a while!!!

We've had a few new folks contact us recently to see how they can help the shelter and the kitties. Of course, we always welcome new volunteers, but I want to take a couple of minutes here to let you guys all know that we've got some really specific needs right now. We have a new crop of summer kittens in our care, and we can use baby food and baby wipes. We currently are in great need of chicken, ham, turkey, and veal baby food as well as good quality baby wipes. Kittens are so messy, you know. And the other need we have right now is for cash donations. Normally I don't ask for donations like this, but we have a few residents who need unusual vet care. For example, our friend Maxine will be going to the vet this coming week for her jaw problem. Maxine's jaw was broken at some point, and it is also completely unhinged. Right now, all she can eat is Hills A/D mixed with water to make A/D soup. If we can get her jaw fixed, tho, she'll be able to eat normally and then find a loving forever home. And we have two kittens who came to us as a humane transfer from another shelter. Their names are Emerald and Jade, and they lost part of their back legs when they were born. These two grey tabby girls are absolutely gorgeous, are very healthy aside from their missing limbs, and will make wonderful pets. But more than likely, they will need surgery prior to being adopted. And then there's Phoebe who needs a bone biopsy to see if we can save her leg. So we have some out-of-the-ordinary vet bills coming up. If everyone could spare just five dollars to help with vet expenses, we can get these kitties healthy and then help them find their families. So if you want to help Cats Haven this summer, we need donations of baby food and baby wipes, as well as monetary donations. I know that times are tight right now, but a couple of dollars goes a long way here at Cats Haven. No donation is too small, and all donations are greatly appreciated!!

Okay, I better get back to negotiating with the feral momcat. Maybe some catnip would help to mellow her out a little. Oh hey! I wonder if there's a mouse-cicle left in the freezer! I bet she'd be easier to talk to with a mouse-cicle in her little feral tummy! I have a feeling it's going to be a very long night . . . Bandit the puddytat

UPDATE, 10 HOURS LATER -  Hello, everyone! I just wanted to give you a quick update on the feral momcat. After one sleepless night for me, and several hours of negotiation, Barb came downstairs this morning and the momcat mewed at her. Barb then just picked her up and put her in her crate. I'd like to think that my finely honed negotiating skills wore her down and convinced her that getting spayed was the right thing to do. Let's go with that, wha'd'ya' say? 

Hello, everyone! I'm Bandit, the shelter manager at Cats Haven. Hehehe. I guess you guys already know that, huh? Well, I'm here to tell you that I'm a happy guy tonight! I'm celebrating one year of living at Cats Haven! It's hard to believe a whole year has gone by since my friends and I made our way from southern Indiana to life here with Barb, and I've gotta say that this has been one of the best years ever!! I've made so many new, good friends, and I've gone from a sickly little kitty to Shelter Manager! So Happy Anniversary to ME! I'm a very lucky cat!

So far this summer, we've all been kinda lazy around here. But we've got all kinds of fun things coming up! First, this weekend is InConJunction, a big sci-fi gathering at the Sheraton Hotel at Keystone at the Crossing. Barb and friends (human and feline) will be there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, telling everyone about all the wonderful adoptable kitties we've got, handing out flyers about the shelter, and selling her gorgeous Gypsy Cat jewelry. InConJunction is really cool, so if you're a sci-fi/fantasy fan, come and check it out. You can learn all about it at www.inconjunction.org. Thank you, InConJunction folks, for featuring us again this year!!!

We've also got other off-site events coming up! In the next few weeks, we'll be at the IVEC Pet Carnival on the south side of town next Saturday, Speck's Pet Supplies in Avon in a week or so (I need to talk to my good friend David to find out the date and time), and the Family Health and Wellness Fair at the Sterrett Center on August 25th. Oh, and Paws in the Park will be coming up soon, too!! Be sure to keep an eye on the calendar for dates and times, and for new events that we're working on! And we're already making big plans for our Fall Frolic! I think our lazy days of summer are over!

Okay, now that I've got the obligatory calendar things out of the way, I gotta tell you about a couple of new residents! First, I want you guys to know about Mickey. Mickey is a two-year-old kitty who came to live with us a couple of weeks ago. He's a grey and white guy with the funniest little face and the best purr-sonality. He's got a birth defect . . . his back legs just don't work. But this doesn't slow him down any. He gets around (are you ready for this?) by lifting up his rear end and walking on just his front legs! HA! No, I'm not kidding!! Mickey goes up and down stairs, runs through the house, plays with the other kitties, and he walk on his front legs!! He is just too cool!! I'm gonna try and get pictures of him and start a "Mickey" page on our website! You're gonna love him! Another new resident I want to tell you about is Willy. Willy is a tiny kitten who had a disagreement with a fence, and at about four weeks of age, lost one of his legs. Willy was very sick for a while, but he's doing just great now. In fact, he's in a foster home and is being spoiled rotten. I'd also like to welcome Rumba and Matilda, two senior gals who came to us from the Humane Society of Indianapolis. And a big welcome also goes out to all of our new kittens! If you or someone you know is wanting to adopt a new feline family member, we've got kitties of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages! Our "Summer of Love" adoption special continues through Labor Day weekend . . . all adult cats are only $30!!! Spread the word! Oh, and a very special Thank You goes out to Hattie, one of our residents, for bringing the live bird into the shelter house the other day! Way to go, Hattie!!!! That was just too much fun!!!

Well, it's late and Lady Gwendolyn is telling me that she needs to use the computer. I need to get to bed anyway. I'm gonna be very busy over the next few days, what with Barb out at InConJunction. So have a fun and safe Fourth of July weekend, everyone!! - Bandit the puddytat