by Edie Hubler, FOTAS Director
Okay, okay, this is a column that’s supposed to be about dogs and cats, not foxes. But I had to get your attention, didn’t I. So my article’s title is really “What would the cat say?”
Have you ever thought about why people like cats? Well, I asked one of our current feline residents of the C.A.T.S. (Cats at the Shelter) House at the Aiken County Animal Shelter to give me some reasons. Her name is Trixie, a female tabby, currently looking for her FURever home, but she agreed to be interviewed and is glad to share her thoughts with you:
Cats are cute, cuddly and affectionate (and I am too.) Agnes Bye, Ellie Joos and Carleen Overman, three FOTAS volunteers, visit me and my other cat friends here at the Shelter a lot. They think we are “the cat’s meow.”
Speaking of meow, that’s how we talk. Plus we purr and we chir. We learned to do these things when we snuggled up against our mamas while nursing, during kittenhood. We think of our human adopters as substitute parents. So we’ll purr, chir and meow to them too.
We are great hunters, and sometimes we will bring you a gift of our prey (or a really good cat toy). We like to be praised, just like our humans do.
We also know that sometimes our humans need to be taken care of, so we give them love and treat them like our kittens.
We love to take naps, and someone famous (the writer here told me it was William Lyon Phelps) once said “A cat pours his body on the floor like water. It is restful just to see him.” Yep, and that brings me to the fact that owning a cat often reduces the human owners’ stress level, improves mood, reduces loneliness. Humans tell us it’s very relaxing to sit quietly with a cat, petting and listening to us purr.
We don’t need to be entertained as we are inquisitive — we are quite capable of entertaining ourselves. All we need is a simple piece of string, a feather, an empty box, a cotton ball, an open washing machine, a flushing toilet, squirrels that I can see from the window — we are very curious and much fun to watch.
Many famous people are/were cat lovers—like Marlon Brando, Robert E. Lee, Marie Antoinette, Vanna White, John Lennon, Mark Twain, Cee Lo Green, George W. Bush, Katy Perry, Abe Lincoln and Martha Stewart.
We are meticulous and keep ourselves clean. I could go on and on, but I need to turn this space back to the writer.
Thank you Trixie for selling us on the joys of cat ownership. She didn’t tell you also that by adopting a cat, you would be saving a life. That should make you feel good too!
Here is an offer you can’t refuse — this week (June 15 – June 21) you can adopt a cat from the Aiken County Animal Shelter (333 Wire Road) for just $9 (that is a great discount from our usual $35 fee) — the promotion is called 9 Lives for $9 and we are participating along with many other shelters across the United States. The promotion is supported by the national animal welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society and the Best Friends’ No More Homeless Pets Network, of which FOTAS is a member. $9 covers shots and spay/neuter.
And don’t forget, today is Father’s Day — it’s never too late to honor your dad with another special gift.
And to you—stay cool/be cool, adopt a cat (or two.)
For more information, email info@angelhartlinedesigns.com or visit www.fotasaiken.org
FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 333 Wire Road. For more information, contact “info@angelhartlinedesigns.com” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org.
AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER: “BY THE NUMBERS”
Correction to statistics in last week’s edition:
First Four months of 2014 (January – April):
Received 1088 animals (733 dogs and 355 cats)
Adopted/Transferred 572 animals (521 dogs and 51 cats)
Euthanized 616 animals (308 dogs and 308 cats)
AIKEN COUNTY SHELTER “PETS OF THE WEEK”
**All adoption fees include: spay/neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.
GEORGIA — American bulldog, female, 3 yrs old, 37 lbs. Only $70
OREO — Domestic short hair—male—9.5 lbs. Only $9
