You are here

Not on My Watch: Matchmaker! Matchmaker! Make me a Match!

On my Covered in Cat Hair business card, under my name, one of my titles is “Cat Yenta.” Most people think it's a joke, but in truth, it's one of my favorite things to do.

Yenta, originally was a Yiddish word for “Gossip,” but over time has come to mean, “matchmaker!” Instead of matchmaking people together or two cats together (we don't want THAT happening unless they're spayed or neutered!), I love to help people find the perfect cat companion. Hopefully it won't take me twisting anyone's arm behind their back to do so, but a little whining, a trick I learned from my Jewish Mother, doesn't hurt, either.

Last week, Animals in Distress, my true friends in rescue, asked me to help them get the word out on a cat that needed a home. His name is Mittens. I didn't have time to do a write up, but I did post one photo of him on my CiCH Facebook Page.

Mittens was rescued by AID from a terrible situation. He was filthy, starving and trying to survive in the frigid winter without shelter. As you can see, Mittens no longer looks like he's suffering, but on the inside, his heart is broken. He's lonely and needs a true home to call his own.

Mittens is...NINE MONTHS OLD. He's not an adult. He's a BABY! He's a VERY VERY BIG BABY! He's a Maine Coon mix, with an extra toe on each front paw. Having this special feature is called “Polydactyl.” It's also how Mittens got his name.

Mr Mittens copy.jpg
©2011 Animals in Distress. The ever-lovin' Mittens.

Mittens LOVES to play and loves most other cats. He's affectionate and friendly, despite what he's suffered. He's been tested negative for Feline Leukemia and FIV+. He's been neutered and has his shots. Now he needs a home.

Before I could post this information, one of my readers, a very nice lady named, Ms. Kelley, who lives in New Hampshire, wrote me and asked about adopting him! I didn't know if AID would adopt to her since she lives out of state, so I mentioned something else I'd just found out about.

Cheese.

Remember Cheese? Last year his owner contacted me. She had lost her job and was in the process of losing her home. Instead of turning her beloved cat over to a shelter, where at the age of 9, he didn't stand a chance of leaving alive, she chose to try to find a suitable foster home for him until she could get back on her feet. You can read the entire post, HERE.

The next DAY, one of our kind readers, Ms. Amy, contacted me and offered to give Cheese a home until his Mom could get her life back in order! Hurrah!

But that wasn't the end of the story...

cheese copy.jpg
©2010 Ms Amy. Cheese recently.

Recently, Amy was contacted by Cheese's Mom. Sadly, things were still going terribly and in all fairness, she could not see being able to ever take Cheese back home. Could Amy find Cheese a true forever home? He would have been welcome to stay with Amy, but one of her other cats was scared of him-not because he was mean, but because she is a scaredy cat and it was causing some issues-you know the ones...

So I told Ms. Kelley about Cheese. He's 10, now. He weighs 18 pounds and needs to go on a diet. She could have said she really wanted to adopt Mittens, but she didn't. She knows how tough it is for cats to find a home when they get well into adulthood, so she decided Cheese was the one for her and she offered to give Cheese a home!

cheese_sm.jpg
Cheese, in his yonger days.

I had Ms. Kelley fill out an adoption application, which she passed with flying colors! Ms. Amy agreed it was a MATCH! All that's left is to find a way to get Cheese from Williamsburg, VA to New Hampshire! If any of you are traveling that way or even part of the way, let me know! If any of you happen to be a pilot and can fly a few extra pounds to the northeast, that's great, too! We'd like Cheese to get to his new home soon, so he can enjoy life with two other kitties and two cute Papillons!

But what about Mittens?

So far, Mittens does not have a forever home, but I have a sneaking suspicion he may find one soon. If you're interested in adopting Mittens and live in Connecticut or a nearby state, you can visit AID's website and fill out a Pre Adoption Application. Make sure you mention that Robin sent you!

There's one more kitty who needs our help. Ms. Amy told me that in addition to Cheese needing a home, there was another big orange kitty who was languishing in foster care. His name is Zanzibar.

69918234.jpg
Zanzibar, waiting for a forever home.

Zanzibar was given up by his owners-their reason, allergies. Zanzibar is a senior cat, so not sure how they suddenly decided they were allergic to him!

Zanzibar has lived in a room, alone, for a year. He keeps hoping to find a forever home, but no one wants him. Zan loves people, but I'm told he's not too keen on other cats. When I hear this, I always have to ask if Zan was properly introduced to other cats OR was it not done according to cat to cat etiquette? He may be just fine with another cat, but the owner would have to take the introduction slowly. They think he might prefer dogs, but again, SLOW introduction might be the key.

The bottom line is this big, orange, senior needs a break. He can even do tricks, so this is no dull boy. Zan is located in Williamsburg, Virginia. If you'd like to know more about Zanzibar and see a VIDEO of him, please visit HERE

On the Eve of St. Valentine's Day, I hope my words are like Cupid's arrow and that somewhere, out there, the hearts of a few families are inspired to fall in love with these big fellas and to help make their dream come true—a real forever home, filled of love.

...and no chocolate, please. Cats and chocolate don't mix!

Comments

If someone can get Cheese to MA/RI I can take him the rest of the way! I live in NH near the MA line.

Let me know if I can help! eve6grl02 at gmail. (I also posted this on FB ^_^)

~Lianne P

I would love it if you had some leads for trying to find a new home or a long-term foster for my adorable Pocky. She's a stumpy tri-color tortie and a force of nature. She would be best suited in a house with other cats who could be her playmate, because despite her round body, she's very active.

We are moving (it's a looooong story) and because the former property manager where we're going and the former owners lied to us, we thought there was no pet limit but there is. My other two cats are older -- one is at least 18 years old and the other is around 10, both of them street rescues, or as I call them, my trash kitties -- and there's a third one, also a senior dude, who belongs to my autistic adult son and who is like his little brother. We're only supposed to have two, but I am going to trust the universe and take those three. (And fight like hell if anyone says anything; the property mgr who lied to us lost his job over what he did.) Pocky is going to be 5 in April, and still acts like a kitten, and except for a few small quirks would be the easiest to adopt out.

We've had two friends say they might take her but then back out. She'd do best in a home where everyone understands she loves attention, but does not like to be picked up. She should have at least one playmate. I don't know how she'd do with a dog, but if the dog likes cats, my guess is she'd be OK.

We are probably only going to stay in this place until the end of 2011, and hopefully we can find a place of our own or a rent to own situation where we aren't burdened by a pet limit. If one of the other cats passes away, we could take her back before that. I genuinely do not want to take her to a shelter because I'm sure she'd hate being caged and can't bear risking her not making it out of there and never knowing what happened.

I'm in the Detroit metro area and would be happy to deliver her to a new temp or forever home. Preferably the former, if temp fostering is a better option.

Thanks, and I apologize if this is spam. I'm just looking out for my little girl.

Dear Robin:

I just checked AID's website, but I didn't see Mittens on their adoptable list. I was going to show my husband some more pics and info about him. Have they found someone to take him?

Jan

Add new comment