Little Aphrodite has a new home!

  She is a 'special needs' kitten, because she is deaf. Great news - a family in San Jose adopted her. She's found her forever home.

  Aphrodite was rescued by the Cat House on the Kings. They have hundreds - yes hundreds - of cats looking for 'forever' homes, including Sally, pictured below.

  For more information on Sally, click here.

  There is a special kitty looking for a special home. Little Aphrodite was found in an alley in South Fresno. She was separated from her mother and the rest of her litter.

  She is now in a foster home, through Cat House on the Kings.

  Aphrodite is special because she is deaf. According to the Cat House - "She is the most wonderful and loving kitten, very talkative and playful.  She will need a very special home, one that won't ever let her go outside where she could not survive. If you have a place in your heart for this special kitten please contact her foster mom Tammy @ catladyiam@aol.com."

  Tammy, Aphrodite's foster mom, sent me a note about deaf cats and the best way to make them a part of your family.

  She writes: "Partially deaf kittens will often not have stereo hearing, so will not naturally learn to associate sound with people, other cats or objects which make a noise. Talk to them a lot and let them associate your voice with having cuddles or getting food. They just need this little extra bit of teaching.

   With deaf kittens or cats, the prime means of communication is your hands, and for that reason you should never hit a deaf kitten or cat. Hitting them doesn't work, and all it teaches them is that human hands hit cats and therefore to avoid the humans and the hands.

You can teach cats and kittens not to jump on tables, etc, by using a water pistol or any squirter, which is "action at a distance". With hearing cats, you reinforce this by saying "off", but your body language will usually work just as well with deaf kittens.

 

  Deaf cats are more visually active to readjust to their deafness. They are also very sensitive to movement and vibrations. If you come into a room when one is asleep, I would advise tapping the furniture or the floor to let them know you have come in, so they don't get a fright when they wake up.

   Touch is a very important sense to a deaf cat, and they will usually respond well to stroking and handling. Some don't, but most will approach you in their own time and you should welcome them with a tickle under the chin or whatever they like.

  Vibration is important, and when cuddling a cat close, they can feel your voice when you speak or hum. You could also see if they respond to "purring" as cat purring is a vibration rather than a noise. Very young kittens are deaf as their ears are closed for 2 or 3 weeks, but they can feel mum's purr, and can purr back. This is probably why they like to sit on a vacuum cleaner when all the others flee under the furniture."

 

             

 

   A sweet and special kitty looking for a loving forever home.

  This is kitten season. If you're thinking about adding a new member to your family, shelters around the valley are being filled up with babies who need a home. Butterscotch, pictured above, is just one of the kittens available for adoption at Cat House on the Kings.

  His litter-mates, Cream Puff and Pumpkin above, are also looking for a home. As you can see, they play well together!

   It's a chance to help athletes with the Special Olympics and meet some of the men and women who protect and serve in the valley. It's Tip-a-Cop.

  Thursday, May 20th, officers from the California Highway Patrol and deputies from the Fresno County Sheriff's department will volunteer as servers at the Elephant Bar in River Park in North Fresno. That's on Blackstone near Nees Avenue.

  The officers and deputies will serve food and drinks and any 'tips' they receive will go to benefit the Special Olympics.

  Tip-a-cop begins at 11:00 the morning of May 20th. And the officers and deputies will be there for dinner as well.

  Donations are tax deductible. And they help Special Olympics athletes here in the Central Valley.

  So mark your calendars and enjoy a meal while helping young men and women in this area.

If your cat needs to lose weight, you might consider putting them on the treadmill. Take a look at what happened when one family tried that. And what the cat thought of their plans.

This year on Easter, my family started what I hope will become a tradition. An Easter treat hunt for my sister's dog Jettie. The idea comes from my friend Alison, who has done this for 15 years with her Border Collies. The idea is much like an Easter egg hunt, only with dog bones or treats instead of eggs. Jettie picked up the game amazingly quick. Here are a few pictures of the 'hunt.'

Jettie waits at the door while my sister hides the treats.

The search begins!

You might be able to see the treat a few inches in front of Jettie's nose as she goes in to scoop it up.

Jettie got into the game so much that she drooled continuously for the last half of the 'search.'

With a little help at times, she found all 15 treats.

Jettie ended up a little heavier than when she started, but we had a great time.

An impressive act by a cat. Read below:

'Baby' the cat saves Ill. couple from house fire

Take a look at this story from Texas on a cop-lovin' cat who took a particular liking to an officer trying to write a ticket. Just click here or here.

The Cat House on the Kings hosted an Open House today. Its the largest no-cage, no-kill shelter in California. And it's located right here in Parlier. See pictures below!!

Michelle Antonell from Bakersfield enjoyed some quality 'lap-time' with a cat that's available for adoption.

There was a silent auction - gift baskets filled with pet-inspired goodies. Even the kitties found them appealing.

You can take me home too!!

Cat tested - kitten approved.

Pete Miller drove from the Madera Ranchos to support the fine work the shelter does and pet one of the 500 cats and assorted dogs that freely roam the grounds here.

Susan Cursi of Fresno is reading the new book that's out about the Cat House - called 500 Cats. You can get yours in stores and on-line now. Part of the proceeds benefit the Cat House. (also pictured - Karen Schafer)

Mike and Jordyn Starkovich came for the open house and kids costume contest. They are just one of the generous families who foster kittens for the cat house.

Fifteen-month old Claire had fun dancing to the music and chasing balloons.

   And kids of all ages dressed up for the costume contest!

Volunteer extraordinaire Tammy 'The Crazy Cat Lady' Barker-Noell and yours truly with a copy of 500 Cats. A must read!!

And Cat House founder - and the driving force to keep find these cats forever homes - Lynea Lattanzio.

And finally - some of the adorable cats available for adoption. For more information, click here.

   That's the mission of Fresno Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Service. You may have seen some of the birds and critters they rescue - at the Fresno Met, schools, even book and movie stores - their owls have been out for Harry Potter Releases.

   I first met Cathy Garner, their executive director, years ago when the first Harry Potter film was released on DVD. She and her volunteers brought out a wide variety of owls, in honor of Harry's pet owl Hedwig.

  I did a story on their work shortly afterwards and saw the baby foxes, possums, hawks and ducks they help rescue. If it's found in the wild, they know how to help. Their volunteers respond at all hours for calls of birds who've fallen out of their nests, babies who lost their mother, birds who've been injured - you name it, they've handled it.

  Their annual banquet is coming up this Saturday, October 17th, at the Clovis Veterans' Memorial Building, 453 Hughes in Clovis. Their theme is "A Medieval Knight" ... a Renaissance banquet. The festivities begin at 5:30 with 'spirits' and hors d'oeuvres. There will be live and silent auctions. General admission is $75 a person ... for dinner and enterainment. For tickets and more information, contact Fresno Wildlife Rehabilitation (click to go to their website) or call them at 298-3276.