November 2023 Adoptions
Written by Julia Persch
Paisley and Grant
Paisley and Grant came from a neglected barn cat situation in a nearby town.
Many young cats and kittens from this barn are frequently rescued by a kind neighbor, but many others have died of diseases and being hunted by predators. KAS has been able to help kittens from this place in the past with medical care and finding homes.
Paisley and Grant were two of them. They narrowly escaped a raid of predatory bobcats who killed many of the barn kittens during the winter of their birth. They grew up safely in the neighbor’s heated garage and moved to the Shelter last January.
Grant was a big softie. He was very handsome with his plush grey fur, and very shy and worried in his new environment. He looked to his little tuxedo sister for reassurance, but he soon allowed to be gently petted and comforted by his caretakers.
Paisley was hilarious, a bit high strung, but super playful and so cute. She was about half the size of her big brother Grant, twice as confident and wouldn’t trust anybody to pet her. She was in charge! She played with balls like a little dog.
As time went by, the two of them became the joy and entertainment of the Shelter volunteers. They were comical and fun, and showed affection for people, even if Paisley couldn’t make up her mind about being petted. She much rather played soccer with her humans!
Paisley and Grant were loving with each other, cuddled and slept together, and went on their daily walks through the Shelter side by side for explorations and visits in the kitchen. They were always gentle with other cats and helped new arrivals, who weren’t so sure about other kitties, to relax with them and become used to cat-company.
As time went by, the two of them became the joy and entertainment of the Shelter volunteers. They were comical and fun, and showed affection for people, even if Paisley couldn’t make up her mind about being petted. She much rather played soccer with her humans!
Paisley and Grant were loving with each other, cuddled and slept together, and went on their daily walks through the Shelter side by side for explorations and visits in the kitchen. They were always gentle with other cats and helped new arrivals, who weren’t so sure about other kitties, to relax with them and become used to cat-company.
They were quite happy at the Shelter, especially when they moved into a prime room at the center of all the daily goings-on, which they loved to watch from their high perches. But they continued to be shy with visitors, so it took many months until they caught the eye of their new mom.
Jackie from Barnet took a leap of faith when she adopted Grant and Paisley on November 3rd.
A week later, Jackie stopped by the shelter and had a chat with her adoption counselor Nancy, who reported:
“Jackie felt that the cats are doing well. When she first took them home, they went into hiding as expected. But she got a bit nervous about adopting them, and asked herself "what have I done??"
She had put the cats in her large bathroom (about the size of their room at the shelter) and they stayed there for a week. During that time, they developed a good routine of eating and playing. She could hear them from downstairs, running around in their safe room. Today Jackie let them out of the bathroom for the first time and they began investigating the house. They went back to their safe space to check in but were not hiding anymore. Jackie felt that they were getting comfortable exploring. Grant allowed her to pet him. Paisley, not yet; that would take a while…”
Jackie from Barnet took a leap of faith when she adopted Grant and Paisley on November 3rd.
A week later, Jackie stopped by the shelter and had a chat with her adoption counselor Nancy, who reported:
“Jackie felt that the cats are doing well. When she first took them home, they went into hiding as expected. But she got a bit nervous about adopting them, and asked herself "what have I done??"
She had put the cats in her large bathroom (about the size of their room at the shelter) and they stayed there for a week. During that time, they developed a good routine of eating and playing. She could hear them from downstairs, running around in their safe room. Today Jackie let them out of the bathroom for the first time and they began investigating the house. They went back to their safe space to check in but were not hiding anymore. Jackie felt that they were getting comfortable exploring. Grant allowed her to pet him. Paisley, not yet; that would take a while…”
On December 3rd Nancy gave an update from Jackie:
“Now, the cats have access to the entire home and are doing great! They play all the time and explore every nook and cranny in the house. They are eating well and there are no issues with the litter box. Paisley is getting more comfortable when Jackie approaches her, and she also initiates contact with Jackie!
They love a toy called the cat dancer, balls of yarn from left over projects, and lots and lots of balls. There is a loft on the second floor of their new home. Paisley likes to drop a ball off the loft, watches it fall, goes to retrieve it, and then races back upstairs with the ball in her mouth to start all over again.
“Now, the cats have access to the entire home and are doing great! They play all the time and explore every nook and cranny in the house. They are eating well and there are no issues with the litter box. Paisley is getting more comfortable when Jackie approaches her, and she also initiates contact with Jackie!
They love a toy called the cat dancer, balls of yarn from left over projects, and lots and lots of balls. There is a loft on the second floor of their new home. Paisley likes to drop a ball off the loft, watches it fall, goes to retrieve it, and then races back upstairs with the ball in her mouth to start all over again.
Jackie feels that the kitties are pretty happy in her home. They snuggle together and do mutual grooming. When Jackie gets up in the morning, the cats race around the house, doing laps.
Jackie says that it is the best thing ever to have those cats at home, it’s so great and it feels like they have been home with her forever!
Jackie is very careful when going in and out the house, in case the cats could get out, but they seem to have no interest in the door and there have been no issues at all with "door dashing."
The cats also love to spend lots of time looking out the windows. Jackie observed last week when it was snowing that Grant checked the weather and snowfall from many windows in the house.
Jackie changed their names: Paisley is now being called Violet and Grant’s new name is Orlando.
Things are going great, and Jackie is very happy!
Jackie says that it is the best thing ever to have those cats at home, it’s so great and it feels like they have been home with her forever!
Jackie is very careful when going in and out the house, in case the cats could get out, but they seem to have no interest in the door and there have been no issues at all with "door dashing."
The cats also love to spend lots of time looking out the windows. Jackie observed last week when it was snowing that Grant checked the weather and snowfall from many windows in the house.
Jackie changed their names: Paisley is now being called Violet and Grant’s new name is Orlando.
Things are going great, and Jackie is very happy!
Vickie
Vickie was brought to the Shelter after her blind owner passed away. The person who contacted us thought that this cat was feral, since she was hissing and fidgeting. But in truth Vickie was just scared about all the changes in her life. She was a lovely, affectionate senior kitty, 15 years of age, remarkably healthy, with very soft fur and a sweet personality to match. She had lived with a gentle guide dog and was herself a wonderful companion cat to her disabled person.
Vickie made friends with her caretakers at the Shelter very quickly although she was quite timid about her unknown surroundings. She had her own quiet room in the back and hid most of the time in one of her cozy caves but would come out readily to be petted and loved up by the Shelter volunteers.
Vickie was brought to the Shelter after her blind owner passed away. The person who contacted us thought that this cat was feral, since she was hissing and fidgeting. But in truth Vickie was just scared about all the changes in her life. She was a lovely, affectionate senior kitty, 15 years of age, remarkably healthy, with very soft fur and a sweet personality to match. She had lived with a gentle guide dog and was herself a wonderful companion cat to her disabled person.
Vickie made friends with her caretakers at the Shelter very quickly although she was quite timid about her unknown surroundings. She had her own quiet room in the back and hid most of the time in one of her cozy caves but would come out readily to be petted and loved up by the Shelter volunteers.
Nancy from East Thetford, VT, had been wanting to adopt a cat for several months. She wished to give a home to an older cat, and she had looked in several Shelters for the One. But when she saw Vickie’s picture online, she felt a special connection. She submitted her application and met with the adoption team for approval. Finally, she visited the Shelter for her first date with Vickie, to find out if they would be a good match. After spending a few minutes together, Nancy decided to take Vickie home…
On November 22nd Nancy wrote:
Vickie and I are doing great! She is wonderful! It’s been 2.5 weeks now and she has become comfortable with me and the house. What started as hiding under the bed most of the day and night has blossomed into comfortable exploration and play throughout the house, both upstairs and down. She was the proverbial scaredy cat to start.
I have beds set up for her upstairs and downstairs if she desires to use them wherever. She loves her bed on a nightstand next to my bed at night, which is her “home base” bed. She often sleeps in the bed with me, too. Sometimes in the night and definitely in the morning (!), she will walk on me in bed as her “nudge” for me to get up and feed her. The other day while sitting on me, she nudged her head onto mine in bed and kept it there, super sweet!
On November 22nd Nancy wrote:
Vickie and I are doing great! She is wonderful! It’s been 2.5 weeks now and she has become comfortable with me and the house. What started as hiding under the bed most of the day and night has blossomed into comfortable exploration and play throughout the house, both upstairs and down. She was the proverbial scaredy cat to start.
I have beds set up for her upstairs and downstairs if she desires to use them wherever. She loves her bed on a nightstand next to my bed at night, which is her “home base” bed. She often sleeps in the bed with me, too. Sometimes in the night and definitely in the morning (!), she will walk on me in bed as her “nudge” for me to get up and feed her. The other day while sitting on me, she nudged her head onto mine in bed and kept it there, super sweet!
Her favorite toys are her catnip mousies or ringer ball which she bats around the floors and then sometimes picks them up to carry elsewhere to bat around further! She is a playful thing. Who knew?!
I’ve also noticed since she has become more comfortable here that she grooms herself regularly after meals and other times. She also nicely uses the floor cardboard scratchy pads for scratching.
I’ve also noticed since she has become more comfortable here that she grooms herself regularly after meals and other times. She also nicely uses the floor cardboard scratchy pads for scratching.
I’ve bought raised bowls for both wet and dry food and water, which are now in the kitchen where she is not afraid to go for meals and hydration. She’s a good eater and water drinker! She will meow when I’m making her wet food din din and follow me to where I set it on the floor.
Her litter box is now in the room next door to my bedroom, and she uses it without hesitation. On the trip here a few weeks ago, she didn’t even have an accident in the carrier. It’s so funny, she uses different parts of the box for #1 and #2 and never mixes the two!
She is still timid sometimes when I walk around the house and scuttles out of my way but becoming less so. I think she’s making sure I don’t bump into her. I was thinking she may not be used to someone moving as quickly as I do around the house or used to someone that actually sees where she is and looks at her directly (knowing her previous owner was blind).
Love this little girl. I think we are good companions together.
Thank you all again for the work you do,
Nancy
Her litter box is now in the room next door to my bedroom, and she uses it without hesitation. On the trip here a few weeks ago, she didn’t even have an accident in the carrier. It’s so funny, she uses different parts of the box for #1 and #2 and never mixes the two!
She is still timid sometimes when I walk around the house and scuttles out of my way but becoming less so. I think she’s making sure I don’t bump into her. I was thinking she may not be used to someone moving as quickly as I do around the house or used to someone that actually sees where she is and looks at her directly (knowing her previous owner was blind).
Love this little girl. I think we are good companions together.
Thank you all again for the work you do,
Nancy
Gemma and Angel
Back in April a couple of kids came to the Shelter with a Macaroni-and-Cheese box full of tiny kittens, all girls, whom they had picked up at a roadside. They also carried a young cat in their backpack who claimed that she wasn’t related to the kittens! We took all these little beauties into the Shelter and gave the 3-week-old babies to foster mom Nancy to raise.
Gemma and Angel grew up to be wonderfully friendly, just like their sisters and other young playmates in Nancy’s fabulous kindergarten.
On Halloween the youngsters all moved to a large playroom at the Shelter, so that they could meet more people and find their forever homes.
A couple of weeks later, on a Saturday afternoon, Diane and Mike from Hardwick visited during adoption hours to look for a pair of feline companions. They were utterly charmed by the whole gang. They filled out an adoption application, were soon approved as excellent pet parents, and took Gemma and Angel home on November 11th.
On December 1st Diana and Mike wrote:
The kitties are doing great! They are both very loving. Angel is the curious one. She must know what’s going on all the time. Gemma is very laid back. They both love to play. They are so much fun. We are so blessed to have them in our family. No Christmas tree this year, though LOL. But that doesn’t matter, we hung the lights around in the house. Thanks again for letting us adopt them. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Diane and Mike
The kitties are doing great! They are both very loving. Angel is the curious one. She must know what’s going on all the time. Gemma is very laid back. They both love to play. They are so much fun. We are so blessed to have them in our family. No Christmas tree this year, though LOL. But that doesn’t matter, we hung the lights around in the house. Thanks again for letting us adopt them. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Diane and Mike
Gracie and Midge
Midge was one of the spring kittens who came to the Shelter in a Macaroni-and-Cheese box and moved to Nancy’s foster kindergarten. A week earlier, Nancy’s nephew had brought her a very sick baby kitten that needed lots of nursing and attention to become well and strong. Her name was Gracie. Like all young ones, she was craving for kitten company and was very happy to make friends with the noodle-box girls.
Gracie and Midge were adopted on November 18th by Dori and Tom in East Thetford, VT, who had sadly lost their senior kitty to cancer just 7 months ago. They were ready to open their hearts and home to a young pair of family cats.
On November 22nd Dori wrote:
The girls are doing wonderful! It didn't take them long at all to make themselves at home. They love exploring the house, zooming up and down the hallway, and watching the birds out the windows and on cat tv. They do so well together and are so lovable. We love snuggling on the couch with them and they have made themselves at home on our bed at night as well. We are truly blessed to have them as part of our family. Thank you so much!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dori
On November 22nd Dori wrote:
The girls are doing wonderful! It didn't take them long at all to make themselves at home. They love exploring the house, zooming up and down the hallway, and watching the birds out the windows and on cat tv. They do so well together and are so lovable. We love snuggling on the couch with them and they have made themselves at home on our bed at night as well. We are truly blessed to have them as part of our family. Thank you so much!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dori
Houde and Mason
On a rainy day in July a vet tech at the Littleton emergency vet called to say that a Good Samaritan had brought in four young grey kittens, and would KAS take them? We said yes...and foster mom Julie, who specializes in raising baby kittens, picked them up. After they were weaned off the bottle, they moved into volunteer Pat’s kitten kindergarten.
Houde, Mason, Carson and Ryker grew into a bunch of adorable, friendly, and vivacious, just really good kittens who would soon turn into wonderful pets.
The boys all had silver grey fur and some of them had tiger markings. They were very interested in making close friends with any being around, including the resident dogs in their foster home. Carson and Ryker found their forever home in October.
Houde and Mason went home on November 26th with Amy and Tom from West Burke. They had a long history of excellent loving pet care and were still grieving for their dog Brandy who had passed away 7 months ago at the age of 17. And their cat-loving poodle Coal was lonely for playmates…
Adoption counselor Helen called Amy on November 30th:
“Amy said the boys are doing so well! There are no issues with the litter box, and they are eating very well. She loves how they cuddle all the time, play together, give each other baths. Even with that strong attachment, they love playing and interacting with their humans.
Amy has a granddaughter, maybe 3 years old, who is very gentle and shy with them and just adores them. And then she has two grandsons, five and seven years old. The five-year-old was being a little boisterous, and the older one told him he needed to quiet down and be gentler because "cats don't like it when you move fast".
Their 15-year-old toy poodle Coal loves cats. When Houde and Mason arrived, Coal was a bit scared of them. Coal has a safe crate, which he went into at first when the kittens were trying to play with him. But now, after four days, they are all having fun together, and Coal is even playing with the kittens' wand toy. "He thinks he's a cat".
Amy's mom, Pat, has her own in-law apartment...and the boys like to go there and hang out with her, too...and curl up in her chair, or sit with her. At the moment, because Amy's house is so big, the boys are mostly in the bedroom and master bathroom...but soon they will be out and about through the whole house all the time.
I commented on how beautiful her rug was...and what if the boys threw up on it? She said, no worries at all...when you have dogs or cats, those things happen to your furniture or rugs.
Both Amy and Pat have grand pianos and I asked how the kitties acted around them. Amy said that they seemed to like the music and made themselves comfortable underneath.
Amy talked a bit about how hard it was when your pets age...and then pass on. But she felt that people shouldn't take on pets if they aren’t willing to give them good love and care all the way through.
Amy said the boys have brought a lot of joy into the house, for the whole family!
I commented on how beautiful her rug was...and what if the boys threw up on it? She said, no worries at all...when you have dogs or cats, those things happen to your furniture or rugs.
Both Amy and Pat have grand pianos and I asked how the kitties acted around them. Amy said that they seemed to like the music and made themselves comfortable underneath.
Amy talked a bit about how hard it was when your pets age...and then pass on. But she felt that people shouldn't take on pets if they aren’t willing to give them good love and care all the way through.
Amy said the boys have brought a lot of joy into the house, for the whole family!