Hello Friends, Furry, Feathered and Otherwise,
Alberto here. I’ve missed a couple of my Wednesday postings because my purrrsonal assistant (the female human) has been traveling and evidently my blogging needs were put on the back burner for a family wedding…priorities people!  But she is back and typing for me so here are my favorite finds from purrrrusing the world-wide web.
Your Friend,

Feline Focused Happy Hour in Portland – The Portland Mercury

Where we live here in the Inland Northwest, many wineries, breweries, restaurants, etc.  host “Yappy Hours” for the dogs and dog people in our community to benefit our local shelter. I have always wondered why there were no cat loving drinkers out there who would take on a bit of imbibing on behalf of felines and feline lovers. Well. leave it to Portland to be the first. This happy hour is called “I love Cats. And Drinking” and is advertised as a place where people can talk about cats without feeling judged. They will feature cat themed games, trivia, entertainment such as “Meowoke”, cat themed comedy and lots more.  Evidently there has been a long running battle between Seattle and Portland as to which city is the most cat friendly. Well Portland, you’ve got my vote. Two Paws Up for a happy hour for feline lovers. (If we lived closer I would insist that my humans attend!)

Shy Cat gets job as receptionist after more than 400 days at shelter –Evening Standard

As you may know, every member of The Tribe of Five is a rescue and we have a soft spot in our hearts for happy shelter kitty stories. This one is wonderful. Champas, a white cat spent 400 days at the Animal Welfare League in NSW, Australia.  He was so shy and fearful, he would run and hide whenever anyone came to visit him. Thank goodness the staff there are proactive and they appointed Champas as their first reception cat in an attempt to show potential adopters how good-natured and loveable he is.  They posted photos of Champas on Facebook, while he was hard at work, complete with descriptive signs that further explained his purrrrsonality.  The job not only got him out of his shell but the Facebook posts snagged him a forever home!

Shelter Cats Visit Seniors Who Can’t Have Pets – I Heart Cats

Here’s another great story about shelter cats. There are many older people who have to move to places where pets are not allowed. Everyone who is an animal lover knows that without the company of furry four-legged friends, life just isn’t the same.  The Bangor Humane Society, in Maine regularly packs up some of their felines and takes them to local nursing homes to visit people who can no longer care for pets. It’s a win-win. The folks in the home get some feline love in their lives (purrs and head bonks) and the kitties get much-needed socialization. Well done Bangor Humane Society!

Every Office Needs A Kitty Kondo: Check Out A Cat At The Cat Library – Cattime.com

Here’s another wonderful shelter story. I love it when shelters are creative in working to adopt out the kitties in their care.  I have reported on cat cafes, cat hotels, cat yoga but now there are cat libraries!  The Animal Care Center of Mesilla Valley in New Mexico has come up with a purrrrrfect idea to promote feline adoptions.  They have created a cat library located inside a government building where over 800 employees have the opportunity to “check out ” a cat or kitten and take them to their desk for up to an hour a day.  The cats are socialized and the “borrow before you adopt” idea seems to be working as other businesses are thinking about establishing cat libraries in their facilities.