EMERGENCY!
The shelter has reached emergency status and is in eminent danger of closing its doors without public support. Please stop by or mail your donation to help save the shelter, which houses 250+ cats and kittens.
Success Stories
Prudence & Pixie
"These sisters were adopted in December 2008. Prudence (the darker one) is very curious, has a special toy, loves to be in your lap, and is a skinny thing. Pixie (the tanner one) is very shy, plays with everything, prefers to sit next to you, and is a little tubby. These loving siblings seem to have little in common except for the warmth they have bought to our home."
-Mike & Lillian K.
Tux
"We have adopted three cats from CLAWS over the past few years and we have loved them all so much! We got them as kittens at different times and they are each very loving cats. You can tell that they were very well cared for and socialized before we got them. Thank you so much for your dedication and love for the kitties of our communities. God bless you and the great work you do.
We wanted to submit a photo of our latest CLAWS kitty, Tux (aka Bugsy). He came right out of the crate and acted as if he had lived here his whole life. No fear of anyone or any of our other pets. Tux is so great that our vet even calls him a 'cool cat.'"
-Helen Salvato & family
Seuss
"We stopped by CLAWS on February 7, 2010 looking to adopt a large cat. We had been interested in adopting a young or adult Maine Coon or Norwegian Forest Cat (or a mix; we just wanted a big cat). We arrived moments after the shelter opened and immediately started oohing and aahing over all of the adorable cats.
After looking around for a few minutes, we mentioned that we really wanted to adopt a big cat. Upon hearing this, one of the young ladies who was cleaning cages suggested we look at a cat they had recently come in.
We walked over and saw the most adorable orange fluffball. He was lying belly up in his water dish and we instantly fell in love! Apparently, Seuss and his two smaller sisters had been left outside in a carrier just a few days earlier. I can't imagine why someone would abandon him; this kitty is the sweetest cat I've ever met. He gets along great with everyone and has been very respectful of my other cat, who is about 15 years old.
Our older cat hated him at first, but he is very calm around her, and seems to respect her seniority. She just meows at him; I think his appearance scares her a little, but they've been getting better day by day. The first day, our older cat wouldn't come out from under the bed...after a week, they were sleeping right next to each other.
Thank you for taking great care of Seuss; he is such a happy, well-behaved guy! I recommend your shelter to everyone I know who is looking to adopt!"
-Amber Lashway and Nic Ianetti
Newton & Flash
"I adopted Newton and Flash from CLAWS in March 2008. Just a month earlier, I learned my 15 year-old cat, Norm, was diagnosed with a terminal, fast-spreading cancer and didn't have long. As heartbroken as I was, I wanted to get a companion for my younger cat, Daisy, and couldn't help but wonder about a black and white tuxedo I had written about for my rescue column the December prior.
His name was Newton and he had nearly been killed by his former owner (she severely beat him with a broom for trying to take food off the kitchen counter). Once a loving, cuddly cat, Newton was now completely traumatized and was very shy with people. Despite this, after seeing his photo and looking in his sad eyes, I knew this was the cat for me.
A few days later, I finally made it to the shelter and met Newton. Allowed to roam freely in a room with several other cats, Newton immediately raced away as we entered. He was incredibly observant, though, and carefully watched my every move. I got down on the floor and slowly followed Newton around, trying to get him to sniff me without appearing threatening. He eventually jumped into a cat tree, where he seemed most comfortable and relaxed, and later he sniffed my hand. At first, I thought this alone might have taken weeks to accomplish.
To my amazement, within just a half hour, Newton not only let me touch his coat, but he nuzzled my head back and let me pet his head and belly. I would've taken Newton home regardless (I knew he would just need time to come around), but his affectionate response to me instantly told me that I had made the right decision.
In the end, I adopted two cats- Newton and Flash. Rescued by the shelter as a kitten, Flash spent four years living at the rescue (in the free-roaming cat room with Newton), since minor allergies caused his nose and eyes to occasionally drip. While not at all a serious condition, many people are sadly reluctant to take a cat that doesn't have the perfect face (although with several holistic treatments, his face has now almost completely cleared up!). With or without allergies, Flash is an adorable and extremely loveable gray and white, and I couldn't bear to separate him and Newton as they are completely attached to each other.
If you're looking for a loveable, wonderful cat, I highly recommend CLAWS. Laurie Walsh and her shelter staff do an amazing job of rescuing and rehabilitating cats (some even feral), so you won't be disappointed."
-Diana Tuorto
If you've adopted a cat from CLAWS, we'd love to hear from you! Please send your story, along with a photo of your cat (JPG or GIF format), to
tammy@clawscatshelter.com.
We're also currently accepting photo submissions for our 2011 CLAWS Calendar!
Haven't adopted yet? Click here to learn more!