Cats:

Shelton has become a bully in the second cat room so he’s on a time out for now.  We’ll assess where he’ll be located shortly.  Our critters are so much like kids!

Misc.:
The office computer is now hooked up to our audio system so we can take advantage of iTunes and play soothing music at the shelter.  Presently, we’re using a classical radio station called Whispering that plays only lovely piano melodies.  Relaxing for the critters and us, too.

The shelter has received a kind offer from artist Karen Pencil.  Karen is the featured artist at Islanders Bank for the month of May.  Since Islanders is sponsoring the animal shelter with a ‘Cat of the day,’ Karen is adding to the bank’s support by donating a portion of her sales to us.  A very generous gesture and much appreciated.  It’s definitely worth a visit to Islanders Bank to view Karen’s work and to see Willy, Smokey Joe or one of the other cats greeting customers.

A huge thank you to Pam Evans, Geri and David Turnoy and Jan Corbett for making a huge dent in the weed population at the shelter.  The front of the building looks so much nicer and the cats certainly enjoy watching the progress.

Mika is her usual sweet self and will soon be off the prednisone that’s caused her to lose weight.  Her food has been doubled for now so we may have to cut it back once she’s off the meds.  Let’s hope all Dr. Joe’s efforts will bring Mika back into good health.  She would be the ideal dog for quite a few homes but we don’t want to release her until we are confident about any health issues.

Cats:
An older guy we’ve named Joey is adapting to the lobby.  He’s as skinny as Mitzi, Sammie and Tonto but his thyroid seems okay, at least for now.  Joey is on antibiotics for a week then Dr. Joe will assess next steps for him.  He’s quite the talkative cat and loves attention.  I’m sure, in his younger years, he was quite handsome.  He’s a gray tabby with white legs and chest.  You may also notice a prominent protrusion in his chest area.  At some point, he had a broken rib which didn’t heal in the correct position.  It doesn’t seem to bother him.  Although the kitty condo door is open, he’s still utilizing the condo for his bed.  Once he finds the perfect bed in the lobby (and there are plenty), we’ll remove the introductory condo.

Orange tabby, Simon, has made himself at home in the first cat room.  He’s quite happy now he’s rid of fleas and we hope to see a slow improvement in his skin and fur. Simon is probably the most playful of the cats in the room.

Smokey Joe and Willy are the two favorite cats visiting Islanders Bank.  Both boys love attention and are not at all overwhelmed by being out of the protection of the kitty condo.  Willy’s funny walk is not the usual graceful gait of a cat and makes him seem a bit comical as he meanders around the bank.  Smokey Joe likes to sit right in the middle in front of the doors so anyone entering is almost forced to pay attention to him.  Islanders Bank staff are certainly enjoying hosting a cat each day.  They’ve received many positive comments from customers and not one comment from a customer about being allergic.

Smokey Joe also likes to go for strolls outside the back door of the shelter.  He’s not likely to dash off and just seems to savor the fresh air and grass.  Maybe we’ll start taking Rita for walks since she desperately needs to lose weight.  A change of scenery may help motivate her into activity.

Misc.:
If anyone might have an hour or so of spare time, we need to attack the sprouting weeds around the shelter.  This is the perfect time to pull them while the ground is still wet.  The trees and shrubs are all developing nicely but so are the weeds.  My personal goal is to pull a bucketful each day.

Tessa after a busy afternoon raising funds for the shelter

Willy helping Dyan with paperwork.

Our friends at Islanders Bank are entertaining a ‘Cat of the Day.’ Stop in and see who is gracing the lobby (or a desk) and give a pet or two. We are so grateful to the staff at Islanders for sponsoring the Orcas Animal Shelter as their charity for March, April and May. Donations of dry and canned cat food, clumping cat litter, laundry detergent, bleach and paper towels are gratefully accepted.

Willy checking out Dyan's office - there must be treats in here!

Handsome Dolce is on a sleepover and all is going well.  He seems like the perfect dog – gentle and quiet in the house, playful outside.  And he’s only a year old.  Could Dolce be the perfect dog?!

Black lab mix Mika will have a little surgery Monday evening.  Dr. Joe isn’t comfortable with her blood test results and an enlarged lymph node hasn’t responded to a course of antibiotics.  We’ll have more on Mika’s health next week but, for now, she’s happy and having a good time romping with Dahlia.

Dahlia is receiving an enormous amount of exercise which is certainly appropriate for this high energy dog.  Kt is doing a wonderful job of improving her manners.  Dahlia is quite the challenge and will need a special person to deal with her energy level.

Cats:
Two of our long term residents were adopted together.  Orange tabbies Tigger and Goldie joined a couple happy to have these sweet cats.  Tigger is the playful one and retired Goldie is the lap lump.

We’ve reached out to our shelter partners to see if any need help with cat overages.  Cats’ Meow in Anacortes needed to place two wonderful cats and we are happy to have them.  Both are probably just over a year old, maybe a year and a half or so.  Tessa is a fairly petite brown tabby with the thickest, fluffiest tail possible for her slim body.  Axel is a handsome white and black short haired guy.  They’ve been playing together in the quarantine room until Dr. Joe sees them on Monday evening.  Both cats are healthy, friendly and highly adoptable.  It’s nice to have this feline activity level since most of our residents are seniors or special needs cats.  Tessa and Axel probably won’t be with us very long so stop in for a visit and play time.

Shelton is back in cat room 2 now that we’ve been able to get a handle on his dietary issues.  The kitten room is clean and ready for occupants. We may not see any kittens until the end of April or even into May.

Misc.:
In case you haven’t checked in with the bald eagles in Decorah, Iowa, two eggs have hatched with the third egg to hatch probably today.  The eaglets are so ungainly but adorable and it’s fascinating watching mom and dad feed them.  Here’s the link:  www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Dolce has certainly captivated all of us and managed to do more than that for one of our wonderful dog walkers.  The plans are for Dolce to go on a sleepover probably tomorrow after guests leave his potential new home.  In my humble opinion, I can’t imagine a better home for him – a quiet home with two adults and no kids.  He’ll be able to regain his confidence in no time!

Dahlia is not only high energy but high spirited.  She responds to our volunteers who insist she behave.  She must sit before chasing a ball.  Of course, Dahlia will do ball chasing longer than any of us can throw the ball for her, even with a ‘Chuck-It.”

Cats:
Two large, handsome brothers joined us.  Ed and Io lived on Orcas for the last 8 months while their person went to college. Changes happened in the family dynamics and the boys came to us.  Ed is gray and white; Io is orange and white.  Mary noted they look like bookends with their similar markings.  They will be 5 in August and are quite loving even though they don’t seem to enjoy being picked up.  The great news is we’ve already found a home for them and they will be going together in a week.  This gives us time to get them tested, vaccinated and microchipped.

Even better news is Veronica, the somewhat feisty tuxedo in the second cat room, will also be going to the same home as the boys. She will be helping maintain the shop environment while they claim the house.

Misc.:
The staff at Islanders Bank is enjoying the ‘Cat of the Day’ visits.  So far, Fowler, Tigger, Tonto and Winny have spent the afternoon checking out the bank.  I understand Winny even wandered around the tellers’ area and managed to squeeze through the bars into the safety deposit box room.  We’ve received wonderful responses from folks about how terrific the bank staff is to give us their support.  I couldn’t agree more and the cats seem to enjoy the break in their daily routine, too.