Jackie winks.This site is dedicated to the countless volunteers who work with homeless and neglected cats. 
And to the wonderful cats who have shared our home.

Skittles | Abigail | Gabriel | Guiness | Jackie |
| Niki | Oscar | Pippin | Roger
| Sammy | Tigger | Lucia |

Please spay/neuter. Thank You.  
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Chien d'or

Chien d'or has joined our colony... uhm family... not without a bit of adventure. If you would like to read Chien's Big Adventure, please click here.

Trapped October 16, 2007
Petey on Chien's bed

SkittlesSkittles was considered a feral cat (kitten actually) and was trapped on October 16 on a nearby farm. He then went with 50 other cats to a spay/neuter clinic as part of a trap-spay-release program. He came to our place to recuperate while I searched for a good placement for him. But I got brave and picked him up and he responded so well to affection, Dave and I got attached. He absolutely adores Chien. Click here for a couple little videos showing Skittles and Chien being BFF.

Adopted February 18, 1997
Abby poses for the camera.Sweet Abigail.Abigale
… my lovely office/studio cat. As sweet and gentle as she looks. Thank you, Ruth for rescuing this kitten and bringing her to me. She is a joy to me every day. She is just a little spoiled.

Abby in the Catalpa flowersAbby stays indoors most of the time. When she does go out, she picks up her feet with each step as if she does not want to get her paws dirty. I remember so well the day I looked out and saw her in a pose that indicated to me that she was actually hunting. Intrigued, I watched as she stood motionless - intent on something out of my line of site. Suddenly, with the distinctive thrumming of wings and loud "Gobble, gobble, gobble," an enormous turkey flew up in the air in front of her. Abby has never run so fast before or since. She high-tailed back to the studio and has never presumed to hunt again.Abby does have some talent in catching cloth mice between her fluffy paws.AbbyAbby Christmas 2005

Gabriel…Spring 1988 - March 11, 2005
Gabriel in the back yard.I will always remember the day I met Ruth Cummings and Gabriel for the first time. After the loss of a pet, I was in need of a cat to nurture and cuddle. At the shelter, I was bewildered - there were so many cats and kittens, but "my" cat was not there. My husband immediately connected with a personable, adventurous tabby we subsequently named Marco.

Gabriel is huge. Ruth was the manager at that time and seeing that I had not chosen any of the shelter animals, asked me what I had in mind. I said something to the effect of "a young kitten" in response to which Ruth said some word in disappointment. At that moment I knew that whatever was on her mind was what I wanted.

Ruth told me of an older kitten she rescued at nearby Canoe Creek State Park. Too paranoid and terrified to be brought into a shelter environment, Ruth took him and his mother into her own home. We arranged to meet at her home after work. When she placed Gabriel in my lap, he buried his head into the crook of arm and trembled. The apparent victim of abuse, Gabriel responded to love and affection and we bonded immediately. I held him throughout that first night. Thankfully, Marco's normal kitten behavior helped socialize Gabriel and allowed him to learn the world was not all terrifying.  

Guiness during one of her rare excursions outdoors.Adopted February 4, 2001. Brought into the shelter July 26, 2000. Estimated age at intake was 6 years and her original name was Tinker.
Guiness
… when Dave went to Shippensburg University, he missed the cats so much. None of the cats in our family at that time would have adjusted to apartment living very well. So we decided to "foster" a cat from the shelter. Right.Guiness gets fostered Guiness and Dave graduateGuiness loved having Dave all to herself. It was a challenge to incorporate her into the colony when they both moved home. But she has been getting better about having the other cats around. She likes to nibble on some people's feet.
Adopted in the Fall of 1998 at estimated 2 years of age
Refection of a Cat.Jackie… an area family had taken in Jackie but found that allergies were too much of a problem. I agreed to try to find him a home. Well, his home is here, now. He's a bit of a wanderer. He misses the retired lady who used to live next door. She told me he would visit every day for "conversations". He is very affectionate and likes to sleep on top of Dave.Jackie: The Literary cat.Jackie poses on a fallen tree.

Adopted September 16, 1999 (brought to shelter 7/24/1999 at approx. 16 weeks of age).
Originally named Chelsea.

NikiNiki and JeanNiki… what can I say about Niki. He is a doll. His cross-eyed stare makes him lookferocious to anyone who hasn't met him properly. He's one of those somewhat deformed cats with the extra claws. But he also has missing toes which leaves his paws looking like mittens. He walks on his front toes like a ballerina. I used to worry about his ability to get around but he is just fine and climbs trees like a pro.

Niki looking like a Maine Coon.He is one of the most personable cats I have ever known and I suspect he may have some Rag Doll breed (NikiNiki's Big Sleep.and maybe Maine Coon) in him. Niki's claim to-fame in our household is his peacemaking capabilities. Whenever two of the cats are facing off in one of their perceived power struggles, Niki will walk between them, intentionally bumping into one and then the other. It is very effective in breaking the aggressive stances. I've seen him do this enough times to know that it is intentional.

Abby is not thrilled with Niki's presence.   I love when he yawns and shows off his huge front teeth.   

Adopted April 5, 1999. Had been in the shelter since December 30, 1998
OscarOscar
… This cat is a trip. He was one of the first adult cats brought into the newly built shelter and was there for many, many months. When I would go there, I always picked him up because he liked to be held. He hugged back. And when I would go to put him back in his cage, he would cling to me.

Oscar in his favorite pose.Oscar would have been best off if he had been adopted into a one cat household. Unfortunately, he was forced to deal with our colony (at the time we had 12). It was not pretty. He wanted so much to be the Alpha cat. But it was not to be. But for the most part, things have settled down. He is still sweetly affectionate. I credit Niki with the positive changes. 

Oscar has gained so much weight, he can no longer leap into my arms. Why do some cats get fat?

Adopted September 16, 1999. Was in the shelter since May 15, 1999
PippinPippin
… aaah - my Pip. He's my baby. I saw Pippin at the shelter many times. Always, he was in one of the top cages and he would be sitting quietly and look me straight in the eyes. I do like that.

WPippinhen I mentioned to one of the other board members that this tabby had become my favorite there, she said I must tell the manager since he was her favorite cat, too. So I walked into the cat room and told Alysia that we apparently had the same taste in cats. She was effusive in her adoration and praise of the tabby and pleaded with me to please adopt him. I mentioned that whenever I had a favorite, they always got adopted. That seemed to make her feel better, but she elicited a promise from me that if no one took him, I would adopt him. At that, she bent down and scoped up a DIFFERENT tabby and while snuggling him, told him, "Oh I am so relieved you will have a home."

I was stunned to realize we had been talking about two different tabby kittens! I didn't have the heart to tell her it was all a mistake.

Pippin as a kittenOn the way home that night and all evening, I was almost haunted by Pippin's face. I couldn't get him off my mind. In the morning I called the shelter and asked Alysia if she could put the two tabbies in the same cage together to see if they got along. Of course they became best buddies. So by noon I told her I wanted to take both. Figured if I was going to adopt one, I was certainly going to adopt the other I wanted most of all! That was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The other tabby? That was Niki.Thinking PippinPippin loves to climb. Even a round metal rung ladder!

Adopted February 18, 1997 - October 28, 2007
RogerRoger… another cat courtesy of Ruth. I used to rent office space in the middle of town. Putting in lots of hours as many self-employed people do, I was away from home a lot. The worst part of that was missing the companionship of my cats. But my landlord surprised me by telling me it would be perfectly ok to have a cat in the office. 
   I did not want to stress any of the cats at home with relocation or commuting, so Ruth volunteered to bring me a couple rescued cats to choose from. She lugged cat carriers up the steep flight of stairs and grinned at me knowing I was going to get hooked once again. One of the carriers had a sizable mature male and I quickly eliminated that choice, opting to choose from several kittens. As the first kitten wreaked total havoc in the office by jumping on top of everything and scattering papers, the adult cat started yowling in inconsolable distress.

We returned the rambunctious youngster to the carrier and I noticed a shy, yellow kitten trying to look inconspicuous in the back. She looked so appealing to me that I wanted to see her. But before coaxing her out, something had to be done to stop the incessant caterwauling from the large tabby. I suggested we let him out to calm things down. When the carrier door opened, this handsome tabby walked sedately out, purposefully strode across the room and jumped up onto my light table. He laid down as if he had been there all his life and looked straight at me as if to say, "Look lady, I'm a REAL cat, and your choice is easy. I belong here." 

But I was still interested in the yellow kitten so we pulled her out to get acquainted. The poor little thing was terrified. She took off and hid under a chair. But when she spotted the big tabby, all she wanted was to get as close to him as she could for comfort. He wasn't thrilled, but he put up with her. And so Roger and Abby came to live at my office. A couple years later, I had the opportunity to move my business into the studio next to our home and the two easily adjusted to life in the country.Roger meditating on my monitorRogerRoger's rough lifeRoger as a hood ornamentRoger in a basket 

Group Shots
Niki and JackieRoger and AbbyAbby and NikiJackie and PippinRoger and PippinRoger and OscarLucy and Abby: Women and Cats

  

All photos Copyright Jean Lewis, www.PagesbyDesign.net