Tuesday's Tails: Meet Zima!

June is Adopt-A-Cat Month, and I'm kicking it off right by featuring a cute kitty who is up for adoption at the Humane Society of North Iowa!  For the rest of this month, I will be focusing mostly on rescue kitties!  The BlogPaws community is celebrating this month as well, and they supplied me with two very important facts:  According to the ASPCA, about 37% of cats that come into shelters are adopted, less than 5% are claimed by their owners, and a staggering 41% are euthanized (and in my opinion, the latter percentage seems rather low).  Cats always seem to get the shorter end of the stick in shelters, particularly older or black cats.  Kittens tend to go like hotcakes, while adult and senior cats are ignored.  "Kitten season" - which is the time of year (generally spring through summer) cats give birth, flooding shelters with unwanted kittens - brings its own set of problems...there are usually SO MANY kittens that it would be very rare for them all to find homes.

That brings me to my second fact:  A cat births, on average, one to two litters per year; each litter produces, on average, four to six kittens.  That adds up very quickly, especially when many of the kittens end up in a shelter.  This is why it is so important to spay and neuter your cats.  Even if you have stray cats wandering around your yard, look into a trap/spay/neuter/release program in your area to see if it's possible to keep the cats from having more kittens.  Trust me when I say that a shelter is rarely, if ever, short on cats up for adoption, and the list of cats waiting to get in (to be surrendered by their owners) is usually several months long.  Next time you're at your local shelter, think about adopting a cat of your very own and saving two lives - the cat you rescue plus the cat that will take his place in the shelter!

And if you're looking for the perfect snuggly sweetheart...check out Zima!

Laid-back and beautiful with bright green eyes, Zima is a pure-white Domestic Short Hair.  He is about 5 years old and has been at the shelter for nearly a year.  (Photo courtesy of Arickx Photography)

I remember when I met Zima for the very first time...the shelter has several playrooms for cats who are able to cohabitate happily with other cats. One of the rooms had previously housed two feisty Calico sisters who liked each other but not many other kitties.  Not realizing they had both been adopted recently, I entered their playroom expecting to see two multi-colored streaks whiz past me; I was greeted instead by a black cat who had previously been in his own kennel and a large and handsome white cat snuggled up in the cat bed.  

Zima was tentative at first, but I settled myself down on the floor next to the bed and waited.  Within moments, he was curled up in my lap, purring and nudging my hand with his head.  Though he will play with you, it is cuddling that he seems to live for.  After that day, I made it my goal to try and visit Zima every time I worked, and he was even sweeter every time I saw him.  I love this cat very much, and if I was an unattached woman without an allergic husband, you can bet that Zima would be living happily with me.  As it is, he still needs a home.  Wouldn't you like to have this snuggle-bug as your lap-warmer?  If you're interested in Zima, please contact the HSNI.  He will make someone such a wonderful pet!

How can you resist these eyes?!

Please join me and the rest of the BlogPaws community in celebrating Adopt-A-Cat Month!  Check out the kitty-focused Blog Hop below (as well as the weekly Tuesday's Tails).

xoxochelsea