SPCA Sunday: Meet Chester

Today, I would like to introduce you to the SPCA of Central Florida cat of week for Imperfectly Painted, Chester!

Chester

Age: 7 yrs
About Chester: Chester is a cool cat. He has the coolest coat. You might think from afar his coat is thinning. This isn't the case at all. Chester's undercoat is actually white, and the top of his coat is black! I've never seen coat like his before. He's a very sweet and affection cat. He loves getting cuddles and pets. Chester always gets excited when I come over to his cage to pet him. He's been at the SPCA since November, and is patiently waiting to find his furever home.

Volunteer Duties: This was a fun volunteer week. We were asked by one of the SPCA staff to make some Valentine's decorations for the cat room. I hear decorations, and I get excited. I love to decorate, make things colorful and sparkly (ya, think? I'm sure all of us nail addicts are like that). We were limited on supplies so we had to improvise. No construction paper? No problem, I found mini red paper plates in the storage closet and cut hearts of those. We also used pipe cleaners, cupcake papers, and foam heart stickers. We hung up the decorations in the cat room, so it all looks every loved now. I'll take a picture for next week!

Adoption Special: The SPCA has an adoption special going on from now through Valentine's Feb 14th. All adoptions will get $14 off, and there is $5 off coupon for heartworm preventive. 

Adoption Price: Cats 4 months and  under-$100 Cats 4 months and older- $75

If you'd like to find more information out about Chester or learn more about the SPCA of Central Florida, check out their website. 

Happy Sunday!

SPCA Sunday: Meet Spook

*Disclaimer: The SPCA of Central Florida does not euthanize animals for space and time. Pets are put up for adoption and kept up for adoption no matter their age. As long as the animals have a non-aggressive temperament and do not have any serious illnesses they will be put up for adoption and remain up for adoption.

Welcome to my first official SPCA Sunday post. I introduced these posts the other week. In short, I will sharing a adoptable cat at the SPCA of Central Florida where I volunteer weekly. I will also share a bit about my duties and experiences as a volunteer that week.

This week I'd like to introduce you to this handsome fellow named Spook!

Spook

Spook Info:

Spook and I have become best buddies he came to the shelter. What I love about Spook is his personality. Can't you just tell by his pic that this guy has some spunk? He has the funniest raspy meow, and he makes himself known whenever you walk by him. He demands attention, and I gladly give him it! Spook is an oldster at 12, but let me know tell you, he does not show it at all. He's full of life, very playful, and enjoys being king of the cat room! He is up for adoption, and would make a great companion for someone. He's very easy going, and is good with other cats! 

If you're interested in Spook, you can find out more from the SPCA of Central Florida's website. Spook's adoption fee is $75. This includes a free health exam within in 2 weeks of adoption at the SPCA clinic or any other participating Orlando vet offices. This price also includes Spook's shots and microchip. 

Volunteer Experience: I went both Wednesday and Friday to volunteer this week. On Wednesdays, I do "kitty cuddling", which is where I help socialize animals and work with potential adopters.  The other volunteers and I have checklist we work through, to make sure all cats get attention. We pet them in their cages and use teaser toys to play with them. When a customer comes in we greet them and ask if they're looking to adopt. If they have specific interests or needs we direct them to cat that we feel best suits their needs.

On Fridays I do "kennel coaching", these are enrichment activities I provide for the cats to keep them happy and active in the shelter. Friday's enrichment activity was to make "tuna balls"! Tuna balls are basically crushed up cat food and canned tuna (juice and all) mixed together that I form into balls. I top the tuna balls off with catnip and put them in the freezer. Once, they're frozen I give them to kitties as a little treat! We have other enrichment things for them too like we make them teaser toys and kitty mobiles. I'm actually going to a meeting on Tuesday because we'll be introducing more enrichment activities! 

That's it for this SPCA Sunday! Please let me know if you have any questions. You can find the SPCA of Central Florida's website here. 

Happy Sunday! 

SPCA Sunday: I'm A SPCA Volunteer

I wanted to start out a new Sunday post, sharing something in my life that has become very important to me. I have been a volunteer at the SPCA of Central Florida since last March. I volunteer there every Wednesday and every other Friday.

The SPCA of Central Florida has really become a second home for me. I'm pretty introverted and have always struggled throughout my life to find my "niche" or place I fit in. I can say at the age of 26 (at the time), I found it at the SPCA. The staff and volunteers there are so welcoming, friendly, and nonjudgmental. I've made some true friends here with big hearts and open minds.

Before I get into my volunteer duties, I want to share a bit about the SPCA of Central Florida. The SPCA of Central Florida takes in owner relinquished pets and puts them up for adoption. The SPCA of Central Florida does not euthanize for space or time. As long as pet has a non-aggressive temperament and does not have an terminal illnesses, they will be up for adoption. We've had pets as old as 13-15yrs old put up for adoption, and find homes! We've had pets who have been in the shelter over a year, stay in the shelter until they find their home! I am a direct witness to this. You can find out more about the SPCA of CFL policies, missions, and practices here.

I have 2 volunteer duties at the SPCA:

One, I'm a "Kitty Cuddler"

There is some Kitty Cuddling action for you! As a Kitty Kuddler, my main jobs are to help get cats adopted and to socialize the shelter cats. If a potential adopter comes in, I help answer questions and direct them to a pet that fits their needs. I familiarize them with the adoption price and all that includes (shots/spay/neuter). I also, spend time petting and playing with kitties, so they get as much attention and love as they can in the shelter environment.

Two, I'm a "Kennel Coach"

As a Kennel Coach my job is to help enrich the lives of shelter cats. We have various enrichment activities Kennel Coaches do for the cats each day. Some days we get crafty by making the cats pipe cleaner toys, teaser toys,  and kitty mobiles. We also have "cat nip day" where we use cat nip sprays, cat nip bubbles, and dry cat nip to help entice and entertain the kitties. Then there are tuna tacos and tuna balls which are special treats we give the kitties. All of these things help keep kitties entertained, active, and happy while they're at the shelter.

This is just an introduction to my SPCA Sunday posts. I plan on every Sunday, featuring a shelter cat, with their picture and information. I'd also like to share some of my experiences that week while volunteering. The intent of these posts is to be warm, fuzzy, and fun. These posts will not be depressing or sad, I promise you that. I just want to share a meaningful part of my life, that makes me smile. I hope also that it will bring attention to the importance of animal shelters and pet adoption.

Thanks for reading!

Happy Sunday!