Mid-Month Updates from the
SPCA of Hancock County
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We noticed two things about Mama Cass right away when we met her: her beautiful pointed Siamese-type coloring, and her round belly. Mama Cass had two kittens shortly after her arrival at the shelter. They were both very small, and only one of them survived. We named him Hoops.
Hoops needed extra help. He was born tiny - and he stayed tiny. He nursed, but not enough. We syringe fed him extra food several times each day, and once he started to eat solid food things got easier. But he still grew so very slowly! After nine weeks, Hoops still needed Mama Cass to take care of him. He still needed human help, too.
But what a playful kitten! He would clamber onto the small cat tree, lean off the edge, and batter Mama Cass's ears with his teensy tiny paws for minutes at a time. Mama Cass was the most patient mother, and did not mind. We kept them together for weeks more, hoping that little Hoops would grow.
We also had him checked out by the vet. It seemed that Hoops was healthy, just growing on his own timeline. We were so happy with this good news - and even happier when one of the clinic staff asked to adopt Mama Cass and Hoops together! Now Hoops is growing and playing in his very own home.
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From Gus's adoptive family:
"Gus is doing amazing and keeps surprising us with how good he is. He is going on frequent, controlled walks. He has been relaxing and is not stressed at all. He is letting his guard down more and more each day.
His coat is coming in very nice, shiny and silky! He is learning how to act in the house and is developing some very good manners. He has not gone to the bathroom once in the house! He doesn't beg for our food, he sleeps through the night (on a blanket the he is not shredding), and wakes me up in the morning with sweet kisses! He is a goof ball and is soooooo happy with us.
Thank you so much for all your help. We appreciate all you have done and Gus does too. He is a perfect dog!"
We knew there had to be someone out there who could see Gus for the awesome dog he is. It looks like we found them! Gus was with us for 251 days before he was adopted.
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Ruger-Roo was frightened of everything when he first arrived at the shelter. It was all so different from the life he knew before - suddenly he could go outside, play with toys, and get delcious treats any time someone came near him.
Ruger quickly came to appreciate all these things, but the thing he appreciated most was having his own food bowl. During his time at the SPCA HC, Ruger did
everything
with his bowl: he played with it. He carried it back and forth to the yards. He carried it on walks. He took naps with his face laying in it. Shelter staff had to trick him into setting it down by offering him another bowl of food in order to wash it, and then had to endure his piteous expression when he realized it was gone.
When he was adopted, we sent Ruger-Roo's food bowl with him. It seemed right for him to have it. And even now that he's a pampered couch dog, Ruger-Roo keeps his prized possession with him at all times. We think it's his way of reminding himself that he gets to have his own things now that he's safely in a home.
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From Grateful's adoptive family:
"Grateful is now known now as Bo. He has settled in with my mom very nicely. He is great company for her. I think he might be one of the best taken care of cats I know! My mom is always checking on him to see where he is. She makes sure he gets 10 cat treats each day. When he gets his wet food, if any is left in his dish she makes sure to keep stirring it so it doesn't dry our until he finishes it later.
Whenever she leaves to go shopping she worries that he might think she is not coming back. I think he sleeps the entire time she is gone! He always comes out to greet her stretching as he walks over to her. He is greeted by "Momma is home! Did you miss Momma?"
She loves when he sits with her in her chair. She tells me that sometimes she sits in a different chair because she thinks he likes to stretch out! He also sleeps with her every night. He makes sure to wake her up every morning with some pats or kisses on her face."
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We have another special kitten story for you this month. Larkspur appeared normal when he was born, but as his fluffy fur grew in and his little legs started to become strong enough to crawl around, we noticed somthing. Larkspur wobbled.
We've seen this before. "Wobbly kitten syndrome" can be caused by several different things. While some kittens grow out of it, others simply remain "wobbly" their whole lives. Larkspur played with his siblings. He scrambled awkwardly across the floor after toys (and after human feet - he always wants a cuddle). He grew and grew.
Once he got big enough to stop nursing, though, we saw that Larkspur needed some extra help. He wobbles enough that it can be hard for him to keep his head in his food dish. He loves to eat! It's just hard for him to get the food in his mouth. We helped him eat three times a day, feeding him from a raised dish and gently supporting him.
One of our most dedicated volunteers, Lisa, watched Larkspur grow up. She chose toys for his room that a wobbly kitten would be able to play with easily. She cuddled him and helped feed him. And once Larkspur was big enough, she took him home!
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Ollie was small, curly, and very, very upset. With his old dog joints, his old dog teeth, and a grumpy old dog personality, this little fellow was unimpressed with everything about coming to the shelter.
Cute as he was, we all wanted to cuddle Ollie. But he would not let anybody near him. No way! He made sure we knew how upsetting the kennel was (a big space for such a tiny dog, we thought!), how upsetting it was to be left in there by himself, and how upsetting he found each and every shelter staff member who tried to offer him a cuddle or a walk, or even some time out of the kennel.
Until we talked him into visiting Cheryl (the shelter bookkeeper) in her office, that is! Suddenly, Ollie saw that vacant lap, and he knew just what to do. He hopped up and sat down - and that was that! Ollie stayed in Cheryl's office during the day each day. He decided that it was ok for other people to hold him and walk him, too.
Lucky little Ollie did not have to wait very long to find a home after that. A shelter board member fell in love with this curly little old lap dog and adopted him.
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Animals Adopted this Month
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Cats
Vivian
Buster
Larkspur
Winnie
Sissy Mae
Peach
Hank
Harry
Brianna
Amanda
Obsidian
MuMu
Peanut
Cuddles
Milo
Katie
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Dogs
Gus
Havoc
Loki
Mischief
Eris
Chaos
Riot
Nero
Ollie
Mayhem
Quincey
Katie
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