Rabbit World View

When I came into this world I was already in a home with cats and dogs. They were my siblings and I grew to love them more than anything or anyone in the world. You could say they are responsible for seeing me through my rocky adolescence safely. Then came the cockatiels - one purposeful and three rescued, shortly followed by parakeets. A few hamsters came, lived full lives, and then went. One mouse that bit the hell out of me. But not until 5 years ago did a rabbit grace me with his presence.

Rabbit the Bruce looked up at me from a plexiglass enclosure, the obvious runt out of four rabbits. I had never been one to like pet shops, but I was a sophomore in college and missing my animals at home. I certainly didn't come in with the intention of taking anything out with me -- it was prohibited to have pets in the dorms, not to mention I favored the company of cats and dogs over small animals. 

But, as fate would have it, a man walked in. Now, I know everything has to eat, and as a fan of reptiles myself I'm well aware snakes sometimes eat rabbits, but it had better be a fairly large snake so as to not get hurt, and usually large rats are safer. This man strolled back to the rabbit cage and said he had been waiting until his python reached 4 feet -- and now that it finally had he was going to give it a real treat. He wanted the runt. Couldn't wait to watch his snake crush it, he said.

Bruce was little, but he wasn't that little. The man struck me odd, and to put it nicely the first descriptive word that came to mind was "arrogant," shortly followed by "ignorant." It was one of those "you'd have to be there to understand" situations, I guess. I question reptile owners that get overly excited about killing, suffice to say.

So Bruce took this opportune moment, and I shit you not, to reach up his little paws towards me. It was as quick as scoop, cuddle and credit card. Needless to say the asshole gentleman wasn't too happy and swore a few times before picking out an adult rat. I know I probably just deterred him temporarily, sadist that he seemed to be, but Rabbit the Bruce had reached up to me and I dare you to say no to a baby bunny sometime. It's hard!

And then I had a rabbit. A creature I knew little about. Oh, but was I going to learn...

LESSON ONE: MATERIAL THINGS ARE TEMPORARY

As a literature major, I am pretty attached to books. Bruce quickly taught me that I should never ignore him for the books. If I do, he will eat them.

LESSON TWO: BARE IS BEAUTIFUL

Okay, it's not really beautiful -- blinding maybe. I have difficulty tanning. I don't go running around naked on purpose, but more than once now I have found that dear Bruce has nibbled a hole in a few strategic locations. Mostly in the back pockets on my jeans, noticed later upon feeling drafty. 

LESSON THREE: ALWAYS CARRY A SPARE

The last thing you want to do is sit down to pee in a house full of guys and notice that your toilet paper has been eaten by a rabbit. Oddly specific? This may have happened. Let me just tell you that wiping with the cardboard tube is a poor choice. 

LESSON FOUR: BUY CANDLES 

What is your first thought when your lamp is out, your computer isn't working, and your TV won't turn on? Power outage? Nope. Rabbit. I don't know if it's some strange fetish for electroshock or if rabbits are secretly Amish terrorists bent on taking out modern appliances. Either way, I can't tell you how many cell phone chargers we've been through.

LESSON FIVE: INVEST IN FLIP FLOPS

Shoelaces are a rabbit delicacy. I don't care where you hide your shoes, your rabbit will eventually find and eat all the shoelaces in your house. I hope you live someplace warm, or you enjoy the tourist look of socks with sandals. I briefly considered asking for those Velcro shoes that light up every time you step -- those were so cool when I was a kid!

LESSON SIX: LOVE IS THE BEST MEDICINE 

Early on my other half and I learned that Bruce had a need to eat everything. If you were paying more attention to something else, it must be destroyed. One day, the little ninja scooted around the manthing lovingly and the next thing we knew manthing's insulin line had been bitten straight through. Type one diabetes? You don't need insulin! Just furry bunny love. LOVE ME! I'm also surprised he's attempted this since then -- insulin can't taste very good.

LESSON SEVEN: HOW RABBITS ARE MADE

One day I came home and little Rabbit the Bruce hugged my arm. HOW CUTE! And then he started humping it. NOT SO CUTE! Fluke? No. Ever heard "multiplying like rabbits?" Well, they only think about two things, so if all of the rest of this has been about food... Yes. Bruce constantly craved love. Mostly cuddles, but then there was that need I just could not/refused to fulfill. So I went out and bought him a dog toy. They didn't have any rabbits, so when I saw this stuffed hedgehog, I thought "close enough." Plus, it grunts when you squeeze it. I'll give you a moment of pause to visualize my thought process here. 

I came home and introduced Bruce to his new artificial friend, and it took all of two second for Bruce to go from "Food?" to "SEX!!!" He went off like a machine gun. To this day, 5 years later, Bruce still has his hedgehog. It's a bit more, erm, gross now. And you can't pick it up anywhere. Rabbits apparently aren't sophisticated enough/don't care enough to distinguish the back end from the front end. 

The good thing about Bruce, though, is he gives more love than you could ever want from an animal. Do I recommend a rabbit as a pet? Absolutely! Do I recommend reading up on rabbits first? YES! Rabbit the Bruce has been such a joyful addition to our family, and still reigns the boss supreme even after the later additions of Poe and Amba, his feline companions. Above all though, Bruce is love. He is in constant want of attention, whether it be cuddling or an audience. Yes, my rabbit performs. He only knows one trick, and it grunts when you squeeze it. 

Cold weather? Do not want!

True to Floridian nature, I have whined mightily for the past few days. It dropped below freezing here and was not the tropical paradise that Florida promises to be. You know you've descended into some comical hell when you look out your front window and see icicles on palm trees.

But what of our furry friends? Sure, we think "ah, they're furry, they stay warm," but it's a myth! In fact, cats and dogs are just as susceptible to hypothermia and frost-byte as we are. when we have a thin layer of clothes on. So while we fix ourselves a cup of Irish coffee and turn our space heaters on with these glorious things called thumbs, what of our whiskered brethren?

There are a few things we, the thumb-bearing gods of the world, can do:

1. Always check under your hood

If you live in the city, or even out in the country, the warmest spot a cat can find as shelter from the cold is usually the manifold of your car. Bad things happen when said cat is still in said car when the car starts. A friend also recommended thumping your hood a good three times so as to scare any cats who might be hiding in there, but as a paranoid person I usually pop mine to be certain. 

This is Molly. She got caught in the fan belt of a car and is lucky to be alive. She's recovering nicely and feeling better with every day:

2. DIY Shelter for Dummies

Not that I'm calling you dummies! You're reading this, so I look to you more like gods with great taste. Or your friend made you click on this and here you are. Either way, you can provide shelter for feral cats or stray dogs in bad weather. It's cheap, easy and gives you an extra warm fuzzy deep down to help you through the perilous winter as well. 

What you'll need: Straw, A tarp OR a large Tupperware bin thing, animal food, and to be diligent about refreshing water that will potentially freeze over. 

Here are what some admirable humans are doing this winter:

Eala from New York has turned her front porch into a feral cat shelter. She used a tarp to keep out the elements, a straw bale, loose straw over the concrete (to keep things dry) and a covered litter box. 

She also has two outdoor shelters made from two covered litter boxes filled with straw. She closed the vents to keep out rain and has several boards up to block wind and rain. Stewie is modeling one of the lovely boards for us.

Alyssa in Stillwater, MN has gone to great lengths to protect a feral colony that lives on her property. She and her husband have converted their whole basement into a shelter out of the elements. 

Her husband also built an outdoor shelter for the cats, complete with safe heated pads (piglet and pet pads).

You don't need anything fancy, though. Alyssa also shared a DIY shelter link (click here for full instructions) to make this simple box that cats love.

Of course, animals being animals, they're not always going to go with what we have planned. Eala built a bivouac of straw bales, complete with tarp and a nice dog bed for her dog who hated being indoors and was afraid of the cats. She said it was surprisingly toasty in the nice little shelter, but instead of staying in there nice and snug, this is what the dog preferred to do:

You can't win 'em all.

3. Brief outdoor excursions

In cold weather, it's best to keep your trips outdoors short. Sure, it's fun to watch your cat wade around in the white stuff or your dog snuff about after getting a nose full of snow. I think. Is it? I live in Florida. Anyway, some things you should know:

Pets can get frostbite:

Though they love exploring in this new winter wonderland, please keep trips brief. Always watch your pet and make sure they do not wander off without you.

Dogs lose their sense of smell in the snow:

If you have a fenced in yard, no worries, but if you're going for a hike, a leash is the safest bet. Dogs have been known to wander off and suffer wounds from frostbite and worse (don't like mentioning the worse) from not being able to find their way back due to loss of smell. 

4. Heating Pet-Magnets

Back to human superiority -- thumbs and whatnot. We have these wonderful things called houses and apartments. Nothing bad can happen in them -- our pets bask in the glory of all our inventions and lounge about in the warmth of our labors. This is mostly true, but you all have heard the saying "curiosity killed the cat." Well, it could scald the family dog, too and the last thing you want is the smell of burning fur wafting about your home, let alone an injured pet.

Choose a space heater that is safe! 

Maggie likes to lounge in front of the space heater her mom picked out for their home her. Stacey of St. Louis, MO is the kind human with the monetary, heat-bestowing powers. Her five dogs take turns in front of this space heater, but it is never hot enough for them to burn or singe their hair on the grating. The best way to find a product that is right for you is by Googling product reviews and asking fellow pet owners with similar room/home sizes. If you need help, please feel free to ask in comments! I live in a tiny 1-bedroom apartment and have been fairly happy with a Lasko Ceramic Tower heater. It will turn off if tipped over, will not burn you if you touch it and the cats adore it. Also, be sure to clean out your space heater's innards from time to time; if you have pets you pretty much know that their fur gets absolutely everywhere!

Keep screens closed on fireplaces!

Amba reminded me the other day that cats will get into absolutely anything. His eyebrow whiskers are curled up on the left side because he wanted to know what a candle was. This in mind, please keep your pet's curiosity in check this winter by keeping that screening closed, just in case. Zion (pictured above) models how fireplaces should be enjoyed.

Double check appliances that produce heat!

Kristen of Houston, Texas caught her kitty Sinclair enjoying the warmest spot in the house. Though he is rather cute lounging there, cats can easily become trapped in appliances like dryers and, well the unspeakable can happen. Just like thumping the hood of your car before starting it, always do a kitty head-count and double check that your laundry doesn't have more cat hair in it than usual. You know, like a whole cat. 

5. Keep Them Cozy

The safest pet is the cozy pet. Even in Florida, I bundle up in five layers of blankets and have been known to wear a knitted hat to bed. I may be a wuss, but I am a comfortable wuss. Likewise, your pets will probably be looking for the warmest spot in the house to lounge in. The best way to ensure your pet's comfort and safety in the winter is by making them a fort of blankets, getting them that super squishy pet bed, or (if you're the crafty type) knitting/crocheting them an enveloping basket of woolly warmth. 

Gracie models a crafty-knitted cat bed. Free instructions on how to make a "kitty pi" can be found by clicking on the link.

Murderface demonstrates another option for safe kitty warmth.

Amy of Vermont gets bonus points for this kitty's awesome name. Do you know what it's in tribute to, Adult Swim fans?

So when you're using those amazing thumbs of yours, you evolutionary wonder, I implore you to please consider the furry things this winter. They're counting on you to see it out -- some can't make it without you. 

This post dedicated in loving memory of Zion -- the gorgeous orange and white kitty posted in this thread -- and Gracie, curled up in her cat bed. You are remembered and sorely missed. 

Adopted in 2011

Checklist before reading:

Beverage?

Popcorn or snacky food?

Comfy chair?

Go pee now -- no bathroom breaks!

Okay, so this might be a long one, but it's entirely worth the read -- or a light skimming if you're here for the pictures. I'll be honest with you all, my 2011 was a roller coaster of crazy ups and downs and I'm ready to get off, but then I thought back to the best things that happened this year ... our Amba cat is sitting on the shelf next to me sleeping as I type. Cute little bug.

Because, you know that no matter what happens in life, your pet will always be there for you. Whether they're furry, feathery or scaley, they give us more love than we could ever ask for. Thanks to a myriad of friends all over the country, and some from different parts of the world, all of these wonderful creatures have gotten a second chance at life this year. So sit back, relax, and take a look at why 2011 was so worth the ride.

Christine, Nate and Starbuck - St. Cloud, FL

"We adopted Starbuck in June this year. She is named after the Battlestar Gallactica character, not the coffee chain! She originally tested positive for Feline Leukemia but thankfully re-tested as negative. Love my crazy calico girl and am so thankful she came into our lives this year!"

Amber and Kiva - Orlando, FL

"This is Kiva Dog, also known as Kiki, Ki, or Kiva Mama. She was adopted in November from a woman who had rescued her from a Central Florida rescue. That rescue, in turn, had rescued her from OCAS, who had found her wandering about the John Young/I-4 area rather pregnant and only about nine months old herself. She was spayed, her puppies were adopted, and then she was adopted and very well-loved in a nice home in the Altamonte area. However, the woman's situation had changed, and she was no longer able to offer Kiva the attention she needed. She is the best dog I have ever had the pleasure of sharing my life with, a true companion, and a constant source of happiness. I keep in touch with her last owners, who miss her dearly and agree that she is quite possibly the best dog ever."

Merritt and Cleo & Angus - Royal Oak, MI

(Top - The Gremlins - Angus and Cleo. Bottom - I couldn't help but posting this great shot of Cleo. I love it when you catch them with their tongues out!)

"Cleo and Angus came to live with us in January, 2011. We’d gone to the Royal Oak Michigan shelter looking for a 3-6 year old male. An affectionate cat, a lap cat, unlike the two diva girls I already had at home. The shelter worker asked “Would you consider taking two?” and thrust this 6 month old kitten at my husband. “These two are really cuddly. They’re littermates who’ve never been apart so we want to keep them together. The rest of their litter were adopted months ago, they’ve spent their whole lives in the shelter, we’ll give you a discount if you take two…” -- the whole sob story. Just as I said, “Do we really want two? We already HAVE two…” I heard my husband say, “I wouldn’t rule it out.” So I told the shelter worker, “I don’t even want to meet the other one, just box them up, we’ll take them both.”

Angus is a long skinny boy who loves to stretch out fully -- belly down, paws fully outstretched. He turned out to be the lapcat of my dreams. You can pick him up from a sound sleep, pour him into someone else’s lap, and he’ll barely stir.

Cleo is a quirky, roly-poly little pudge. If you give Cleo a choice of toys, she picks the pink one, every time. She’s got the strongest predatory instinct of any cat I’ve ever had, if her behavior looking at the birds & squirrels through the window is anything to go by.

In their first year with us, they’ve destroyed a vase, two food bowls, a handmade sock, several knitting projects in progress, many balls of yarn, a gorgeous piece of art glass, more feather toys than I can count, and a bunch of houseplants. Or so I can recall off the top of my head. There have been moments when I’ve wanted to turn them into cat-shaped stains on the wall, but one look at those dark copper eyes and those innocent faces, and I melt, even as I’m sweeping up their latest round of destruction.

There’s never a dull moment with our gremlins around."

Heather, Chris and Ida - Portland, ME

"I adopted Ida for Chris in September. She is crazypants but we still tolerate her. She eats fingers, and plays with my toys, but she's pretty damn cute!"

Rainy (Lorraine) and Freya - Green Bay, WI

"My husband and I lost 2 of our kitties this year and the house seemed so empty (okay, so we still had 2 kitties and a dog, but it was still empty feeling). So around Thanksgiving, I started really feeling the need for a kitty.

I heard our local shelter, the Bay Area Humane Society was doing free adoptions in December for cats 6 months and older. I stopped there at lunch and there were 4 rooms FULL of cats, but none jumped out at me. Two weeks later, I went back and there were 2 senior cats and a 3 month old cat - that’s IT!

On thursday, Dec 22, I had a little time at lunch and it was too cold to knit in the car, so I went to the shelter. And there she was. In a mostly empty room in a shelter that was closing that day for a week, the only kitty who did t have a “hold for pickup on the 22nd” sign, there she was. Six months and 10 days old, just barely over the threshold between free and $150. Cuteness incarnate.

I called my husband the second he got out of work and said “RUN over and meet her”. When I got home from work 4 hours later, there she was. Since it was the Solstice, we named her Freya."

Joy and Tiger & Jeff - Hawaii

Tiger lounges by an icy water bottle on a hot day.

Jeff looks out at Joy: "Hello, new human slave!"

"My two ratties are adopted babies from the hoarder situation in San Francisco. They traveled far to get to their (final) forever home." Joy dotes on her two new boys and has knitted a hammock for them since their arrival.

Sarah and Tela - Winter Park, FL

Shared courtesy of Sarah's sister, Becca. "My sister adopted her about 3 months ago and couldn't have gotten a more perfect pup!"

Desiree' and Baby Kitty - Tennessee

"Baby Kitty has been with us since March. Her original name was Jawcat. I forget the story behind it, but we didn't like the name. We couldn’t come up with one but we kept calling her Baby kitty and that’s what stuck!"

Tammy and Little Bee - Connecticut

"This is Little Bee, adopted from The Humane Society this summer. We are not allowed “uncaged” pets and at one time we had 7 birds…we are now down to three. I’d love a kitty but since Baloo, my parrot, would then be caged more, I felt it was unfair to him. He is about 15 now. Little Bee “follows” Beeper (our Rosella) around in the individual cages."

Suzy and Mick & Rita Skeeter - Columbus, OH

Rita Skeeter

Mick

"I work in Greyhound Rescue and my house is the senior sanctuary. I only adopt the old ones. Accordingly, I have lost 4 since last December. But when one leaves that makes a space for one who needs a home. New to the old folks home this year are Mick and Rita Skeeter. It can be very emotionally draining when you loose them so fast but they are sooooo loving and happy to be here. "

Robin and Delilah & Diamond - Tampa, FL

(I have to preface this by saying Robin is one of the ladies I have the pleasure of working with at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay -- she is ALWAYS going above and beyond for the animals, and she's been a real inspiration to me. Thank you for all you do, Robin!)

"Delilah (on the left) and Diamond (on the right) were supposed to only be foster babies for 1 month. However, after Diamond had a rough start and opened her spay incision and had to have emergency surgery and then got a secondary infection and almost died, there was no question she was staying with us. We decided that because they relied on each other so much, there was no sense in separating them. They are our foster failures, but we couldn't be happier!"

Wendy, Aaron and Rosie & Moogie - Gainesville, GA

Rosie

Moogie

"In January we adopted Rosie from a local ad in the paper for free kittens. She was 3 months old at the time. In February, we were in Petsmart looking for a collar, when we saw Moogie. She was for adoption through the GA SPCA at the store. We fell in love instantly. She was about 2 yrs old at the time, and we took her home the next day."

Morgan, Jason and Aries - Chicago, IL

Couldn't be more proud that my nephew and future niece-in-law adopted a gray kitty! "We picked him up in November after I did some videos for that particular animal shelter. After I finished the video I kept showing him how cute Aries was and he finally said we could pick him up. Now he's Kasper's favorite buddy."

Nicolette, Derek and Bellatrix & Garfield - Tampa, FL

"Derek and I adopted Garfield and Bellatrix in March 2011. They are brother and sister and we couldn't bear to see them separated so we adopted them both!"

Alison, Sam and Castiel - Fort Lewis, WA

"This is Castiel, formerly known as Cletus. We changed his name because he is so much like the character on Supernatural. He is a Tree Walker Coonhound. He is almost 1 and was 20 pounds underweight when we got him. He was adopted 5 days before we got him but because Coonhounds do not make great first pets or just lounge around pets they gave him back and 3 hours later we came to get him. He is a handful of energy but we love him."

Allyn and Jake, Elwood, Phoenix & Miss Kentucky (aka Tuck) - Atlanta, GA

"I learned from a Facebook friend that she had a litter of polydactyl kittens and needed homes for them…in fact, she had 12 kittens from two mothers. The mother of the polydactyls birthed her babies and took off, leaving Gina to foster them to a couple of other cats. (They live on a farm). We were excited about the polydactyls and made arrangements to adopt one. My daughters, a friend, and I took a weekend to drive to Kentucky for a kitten. By the time we arrived, we had decided we needed three. By the time we left, we had four. The two ginger and white are Jake and Elwood Blues, the white with ginger is Phoenix and the little dilute calico is Miss Kentucky…Tuck. Elwood and Phoenix are the pampered pets at Fogerty’s house. Jake and Tuck live at my house with their Uncle Fuzzies (two of the Himilayans from my call name) and big sister, the Alien Child, who was a 2010 rescue. Oh, and Leilani, an Orange-wing Amazon, who has lived with us almost 35 years. Don’t get a parrot unless you are in it for the long haul!"

Emily and Sage - Bountiful, UT

"Our family dog, Champ, died in September from old age and complications due to a spider bite. We were heartbroken to lose him. Less than a week later we adopted Sage, a six-year-old short hair border collie. It’s just not home without a warm and fuzzy border collie to keep you company!"

Tiffany and Moxie - Georgia

"My husband and I weren’t really looking for a 3rd cat, but we couldn’t resist her sweetness (she kept kneading me as I held her)! This is Moxie, a 1 year brown tabby Maine Coon that we got from our local Siamese and Persian rescue group. They said that they had rescued her from a high kill shelter the day before she was going to be put down. I can’t imagine my life without her now, she’s my little snuggly puff ball who loves her mommy!"

Angela and Sassafras - Washington, DC

"I adopted Sassafras from the Washington, DC Humane Society in September, 3 weeks after Sofia had to be put to sleep. I was heartbroken and didn’t want to come home to an empty home anymore.

I went to look at a different cat who wanted nothing to do with me. Sassafras was sitting on top of a perch and leaned out and tapped me on the back as I walked by. So after a lot of agonizing, I decided she was the one. She apparently hated the other cats in the kitty Room and sat on her perch all the time hissing at them. Now she has a one cat home.

She is very, very cuddly and just wants to sit in my arms like a baby or curled up on my shoulder all the time. She’s also a biter but we are working on that. I adore her."

Melissa and Mystery - Arizona

"I added a new kitty to my household this summer. Last spring I was chatting with some coworkers, and the fact that I knit came up. One of them asked if I had a knitting specialty. I thought for a minute, and then said “cat toys” since I’ve certainly made a lot of those. Her response was “do you need another cat?”

It turns out her sister-in-law had been feeding an abandoned cat who had turned out to be pregnant. They took her in just before the kittens were born because they were sure that otherwise the kittens, and quite possibly mama cat, would end up being a coyote snack. My coworker was trying to help find homes for the kittens.

I hadn’t been planning to get another cat at that time (I already had two, plus a dog), but a kitten was really, really tempting. And who doesn’t love a kitten? (Well, my coworker, actually. She’s just not a cat person.) The kittens had just been born, so they weren’t going to be going to new homes for a while. Which meant that the possibility of a kitten continued to be there. I thought, and I thought, and I thought… and then I realized that as tempting as a kitten was, I kept worrying about the mama cat who wouldn’t be able to find a home as easily as a kitten.

So the mama cat is now a part of my household. Her name is Mystery. The kids in the family that was taken care of her had been asking their mom “what’s the cats name?” and “where did she come from?” Their mom told them, “We don’t know. Her past is a mystery.” The kids decided her name must be Mystery, and it stuck.

She wasn’t much more than a kitten herself, just about a year old. She’s spayed now, so there are no more kittens in her future. She’s also an indoor kitty now too, so no more worries about coyotes (which are certainly an issue here in Arizona). She’s a sweet cat with a wonderful purr.

(And, if you were wondering, the kittens all found good homes as well.)"

Ellen and Phoenix & Shadow - Memphis, TN

"We adopted Phoenix (orange) and Shadow (gray) as kittens in September, shortly after moving into our new apartment. Previously we’d been living with my mother-in-law who is unfortunately allergic to cats.

They’re from two different litters but they became great friends in no time at all."

Marie and Simon & Fergus - Ontario, Canada

"My 16 year old kitty, Sammy died on Christmas eve 2010 and I wanted to save a kitty, to honour him. I ended up with 2 very scared, timid kitties with respiratory issues in January.They’ve come a long way since then but still don’t like to be picked up and they’re terrified of cardboard boxes so we still have a lot of issues to work out. Simon(black) and Fergus(white) have helped me heal and bring me joy every day
Here they are celebrating their first christmas with us."

Suzy and Bubbles, Lily & Spike - Wisconsin

"We had a litter born on our enclosed back porch and abandoned minutes later so we’ve been raising them ever since. Lots of lost sleep to bottle feed, kitten proofing an “adult cats” only household and a fortune in cat food later, we have three of the snuggliest kittens you’ve ever met. They spent their first several months doing a lot of travel- we are Civil War reenactors so spend many weekends in the summer camping out. The kittens were too dependent to be left home alone for the weekend so they got piled into the truck with everything else and dragged across three states. Attracted every feral child in camp everywhere they went! So they’re very well socialized in addition to snuggly! As crazy as they are and upside down as they turned our household for a few months, I can’t imagine not having them now!"

Jennifer and Kiko - Boise, ID

"I adopted Kiko in March from the Idaho Humane Society and I just adore her. She is very sweet and affectionate, and so adorable."

Shakti and Crick - Saskatchewan, Canada

"I adopted Crick on March 3rd from the SPCA. We have had our ups and downs with Teenage Cat syndrome and persistent inappropriate urination, but in the last few months she has become pretty near the perfect cat. Crick is smart, bold, and curious, undignified and playful. She’s the lap cat that I’ve always wanted but never had. She sleeps in my bed at night and curls up in a shawl “sling” on my lap when I work at the computer in the morning. Even nail clipping and vacuuming don’t faze her, and she will high five and sit pretty in exchange for food. She doesn’t scratch the furniture (much), she doesn’t try to escape outside, and she’s very good at figuring out how to do things like open cupboard and closet doors and flush toilets."

Heather and Mouse - USA

"I ended up getting a kitten that someone was going to abandon in a dumpster.. Hes been named Mouse and is adored by my girls (and dog). With proper food and care hes gotten BIG. When we got him he fit into the palm of my hand but he's probably almost tripled in size since we got him. We still have issues with him from time to time but I put that to being a kitten, kittens are so curious they sometimes cause trouble :)"

Niki and Rory - Atlanta, GA

"This is Rory. A friend of mine at work found him by a dumpster, wrapped in a towel. Somehow, we just couldn’t say no. We’d always said “two people, two cats”, but it turns out we had just enough room and love for another."

Tia and Sophie - Australia

"This is Sophie. I went to work (I teach primary school) with no intention of getting a kitten. However, this little sweetie was dumped in the school garden and left. So, here we are. She was 7 weeks old (now ten weeks) and we are currently dealing with the ringworm problem (possibly the reason she was dumped). She’s delightful."

Tiffany and Max - Northern Bergen City, NJ

"My little Max was rescued in June from a construction site (we “canvased” the area in the days following to see if there were other cats around or if he was someone’s kitty to no avail).

Little Max was skin and bones when we found him, scared too of course, and only slept & ate for the 1st 3 days. And look at him now, plumper and a crazy little nut…still always sleeping :)."

Carolyn and Aubrey - Ames, IA

"I adopted Aubrey (formerly Pearl) in August from a local Humane Society that is largely (if not entirely) no-kill. The staff was quite sad to see her go, though thrilled that she found a home after 6 months in the shelter! She’s plumped up and adapted to inside-life quite well!"

Marlenia and Senna - Grapevine, TX

"Senna was a little rescue kitty, adopted after her elderly breeder surrendered all of her cats. She had several medical issues that needed to be dealt with, but she is now healthy and happy in her forever home."

Lynne and Bella - Battlecreek, MI

"I adopted this little girl in September. Her name is Bella."

Deborah and Penny & Pedro - Auckland, New Zealand

"This is Penny and Pedro officially adopted in Nov 2011 after I found them abandoned on my doorstep at approx 3 weeks old. This was only 3 days after my old ‘Madamcat’ passed away at the ripe old age of 19 3/4 years and I was not ready for more additions to the family. However I believe that cats find you and so does the Bloke (he was supposed to say ‘no more cats’!). We also lost our mad Abyssinian, Floss 6 weeks after Madam so I guess that’s why there were 2 little black and white bundles of mischief at the door. My friend said they were ‘pennies from heaven’."

Christine and Alladdin - New Brunswick, Canada

"We adopted Alladdin this year. It’s taken him a little while (and he’s still working on it), but he’s getting more comfortable with our family daily. We think he’s around two and a half, and pretty skittish. But he’s gotten more comfortable as time goes by and is wonderful with my 1 year-old son."

Miriam and The Cat-Pocalypse - Hanover, IN

This is a teaser photo. A full story will be posted about "Arma-kitten 2011" at a later date :)

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

The Moose and the infamous Amba Cat - Tampa, FL

Amba and I would like to wish you all a wonderful New Year in 2012, and to also thank everyone who contributed to this furry, feathery montage of 2011. You all have saved so many lives, and the world is a better place thanks to you!

Stay furry, my friends!