In this issue: Gabriel City of Cats Enrichment for Shelter Cats Coloring for Kindness Volunteers Read to Shelter Dogs Putt 4 Paws Golf Tournament
Gabriel
9-week-old Gabriel was found in an isolated area of Cornville. Brought to the Verde Valley Humane shelter, at first glance we thought he was a cute furry lost puppy. A closer look and a cuddle showed he was much too skinny for a healthy pup and beneath that puppy fur we saw more ticks than skin. He was a pitiful sight.
With our care, he’s gained weight and became a favorite of staff and volunteers. Our Puppy Trainer fostered him in her home and this sweet boy is learning manners as he gets ready for his new family.
Please donate to help us help more dogs like Gabriel.
Kotor is a small state in the southwest Balkans, formerly part of Yugoslavia. There are so many cute kitties in Kotor that Lonely Planet named it one of the top 10 world destinations for feline fanatics.
Anna and Don Dickinson recently visited Kotor and Anna tells us, “We spent the day walking all over the walled city. Cats were on tables, climbing the walls, and in shops. We did not notice any cats that were in poor health. Every store fed the cats. We watched one man put down a bag of sardine heads for five cats.”
Water, food, and sleeping boxes are left throughout the city. There’s even a museum dedicated to the Cats of Kotor in Cats Square where cats sleep on benches and are only too happy to be petted and photographed.
Enrichment for Shelter Cats
At Verde Valley Humane we lack a steady supply of tourists to entertain our cats, but our staff and volunteers try their best to provide feline enrichment while cats wait for forever homes. We work to keep them both healthy and happy so they show off their best personalities to potential adopters.
Last year we opened our catio, an indoor-outdoor enclosed patio. Volunteers verify that the cats love being out smelling and hearing the outdoors and watching birds, squirrels, and people.
Besides lots of toys, all enjoy positive, consistent, predictable human interaction. Volunteers play, brush, and talk to the cats. One patient volunteer spent a lot of time over a period of days with a scared cat just sitting in the door of the condo cage with her hand near the frightened one until the cat was ready to be touched.
If you really love cats, considered becoming a cat volunteer or foster. Some of our cat fosters care for newborns needing bottle feeding or cats after veterinary procedures.
From January through May 2023 we took in 122 cats and kittens. 60 were placed in foster homes for short periods of time.
It’s still Kitten Season! We have a lovely supply of kitties. Come by and pick one…or two.
In June we helped the Cottonwood Public Library’s Family Craft program kids and caregivers create soft cuddly blankets for our shelter cats to make their stays with us just a little nicer.
At the end of the month we returned to pick up more blankets and give the children “How to Care for Our Pet Pals and Be Kind to Animals” coloring books. The bilingual coloring and activity books donated by Operation Blankets of Love will provide hours of fun and learning.
