Monday, May 17, 2010

Meet Some Real Cool Cats




BETTY (Ithink she is the most glamorous looking cat, just look at those eyes!)







ANNIE (voted best lap cat by Wayside Waifs!)









SCORPIO & HARVEY (Scorpio is a great lap cat, and very playful too! Harvey is one of our older cats at the shelter, but he is very sweet and laid back).


It's pretty obvious that I love animals, particularly dogs and cats. I've always had a love for animals. As a child, I grew up with 2 Basenjis (at different times). When I grew up I wanted to be a veterinarian until I realized that didn't mean I just got to play with the animals all day :)

As I got older, the need to "do something" animal-related was very strong. When I got Sushi, my 6.5 yr old Shiba Inu, I became Organizer for the Toronto Shiba Inu Meetup group. Then, I became one of the co-founders for Shiba Rescue GTA.
Then, nearly 2 years ago, my husband and I decided to move to Missouri (his family is here). I was unemployed, searching for a job. When we first arrived, I wanted to find an enclosed dog park to take Sushi to. We found Bark Park at Wayside Waifs! Little did I know what my discovery of this park would lead to! I was so impressed by the grounds for this no-kill shelter, that I signed up to volunteer.
I originally started out volunteering mainly with the dogs - walking them, playing with them, giving them plenty of love. I even became involved in playgroups with the small dogs, which was a lot of fun. Whenever I was ready to leave for the day, I would go in to see the cats. Slowly, I started to spend more and more time with the cats. I'm not sure what it was. We have 2 cats that I love to pieces, but I always considered myself a dog person first. Well, the cats of Wayside Waifs won me over. They also taught me a lot about cats. Doesn't that sound funny, considering I had 2 at home? Well, these cats taught me that things happen on their terms, and most importantly to be patient. I have had so many favourites, I miss many of them, but I am also overjoyed when they are adopted to their new families and given the loving home they so much deserve.
A little over a year ago, I applied to work with the Feline Comfort Crew at Wayside Waifs. Basically, cleaning the kennels, and socializing the cats. We also check on their health and if something doesn't seem right, we notifiy the vet clinic. Anyways, I love my job. The best part, for me, is seeing new cats improve - they come in scared, shy, matted, angry and some do come in as if nothing ever changed and are happy go lucky. I enjoy working with the cats that need a little bit more help, and those tend to be my favourites.

These cats are currently up for adoption, awaiting their forever home. If you, or someone you know, is looking to give a cat (s) a wonderful home, please visit Wayside Waifs webpage for more info.








1 comment:

  1. Lovely cats - and what a great story about how you got your present job. Marvellous the way things work out xx

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