Success Stories
Chloe's
Success Story

Over a year ago my mom picked me
up from a sleep over and we just went to your shelter. She didn't tell my dad or
my sisters. But even if she was a surprise my whole family loves Chloe. She even
gets along with our other cat. We normally find the two of them sleeping inches
apart in the sun. Chloe also enjoys her scratching posts and any time there's a
box in the hallway she tries to sleep in it. The picture I included is her
sitting in her current favorite spot, under our Christmas tree!
Mandrake's
Success Story

Recently, I came in and adopted
Rhett, a beautiful 2+ old black male DSH from your shelter and he's an excellent
cat.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that he's doing wonderfully! He's adjusted
to us in such a short time and he really is a huge mush. When I come home from
dropping off my kids at school, he runs up to me and greets me at the door. He
loves to play with string and other cat toys and enjoys the time we spend
together (as do I). He rubs against me and even hugs me when I pick him up. We
love him so very much! We've renamed him Mandrake.
Mandrake and my Scottish Terrier (Bandit) get along extraordinarily well. In the
evening, Bandit will chase his ball around the house and while he does so,
Mandrake will jump out from behind something and "tag" him, then hide again. In
quieter moments my Scottie showers Mandrake with lots of "kisses" to his ears
and face. It's really adorable to see them getting along so well together.
I've attached a pic of Mandrake (Rhett) so you can see him enjoying his new
home. Thanks so much for everything - he fits in perfectly here! Even though
I've only had him for such a short time, I couldn't imagine life without him.
Thanks for all that you do - you're a Godsend to these kitties.
Warmly,
Christine Donatello
Peyton's
Success Story

We adopted
our kitten, now named Peyton, from you about a year ago and we LOVE him. He is
so curious that we have to keep him in one half of the house cause he tries to
sneak outside! We got him when he was five weeks old and now he is a little over
a year! We are told all the time that he is the most gorgeous cat anyone has
seen! (And we may be bias but we think so too!) He might even know it because he
even enjoys posing for pictures! He is super friendly and super playful! We
thank you so much for all that you do for these great animals. Without you we
wouldn't have the best addition to our family! We have been recommending your
shelter to anyone who is looking for a kitten or cat!
Sarah Wydner and Tom Morris
Bandito's Success Story

I adopted Bandito from Claws in October of 2008 and we just adore him!! This is
one of his favorite hang-outs,he loves the bathroom and he loves playing in the
water!!
I'll never forget the day Bandito picked me to be his person, doing acrobats in
his crate and when taken out, riding on his caregiver's shoulders! He still
loves to ride on our shoulders and his favorite toy is one that he brought with
him from Claws--he still has it after all these years!!! You do great work!! God
bless you for all you do for these precious creatures!!!
Nancy DeFazio
Eldred, NY
Cali's Success Story
As promised we are sending you the update on Cali the female cat we adopted
from you about two weeks ago. Well we went there looking for Spanky and drove
over an hour with no gas and no GPS signal and finally arrived to your shelter.
To our surprise Spanky was already reserved.

As we looked at the other cats my
husband noticed Cali and we decided to see if she was friendly
and got along
well with my son.
To our surprise we adopted Cali, my husband grew up with cats all his life and
is a pretty good judge of them. He said that Cali is the one we have been
looking for. I have always wanted a long haired lap cat and wow were we not disapointed. When we got home an hour later after leaving your shelter she hid
under our couch for about five hours and decided to venture out eventually. To
our surprise this little kitty is a true "Love Bug" not only is she a lap kitty,
but she is a licker. She fills out home with love. We love her very much and my
son loves her as well.
How life takes funny turns. We came looking for a kitten and came out with a
mature loving cat which we love very much. I have attached pictures of her for
you to see she is very comfortable here. We drove an hour away to find her and
she traveled from Puerto Rico to find us. Thank you for her and thank you for
treating us so kind. We have nothing but the best experience with you.
Everyone most of the time goes to the shelters to find kittens but if they gave
an adult cat like Cali a chance like we did they would not be disappointed. You
never know what you are getting with a kitten. They have not developed their
personality yet. With an adult cat you know what you are getting in terms of
their coat and their temper and hopefully get as lucky as we have to save an
adult cat and in return have unconditional love.
Thank you and we wish you success in the shelter.
-Paola, Mark and Jonathan
Cali's Success Story
"
We
adopted our cat Cali from CLAWS about 6 years ago and she is the best we've ever
had.
The first day we brought her home, She got along and fit right in with the
family. She is such a quirky little girl and makes us laugh everyday. She loves
to fetch and play with Our dog, yes she is a cat that acts like a dog! We can't
imagine life without her now. She is very outgoing and smart. She comes to her
name is will cuddle with you all day. She is so well behaved and was litter
trained at home the first night. Thank you CLAWS for all you do and bring this
little bundle of joy into our lives. You're an amazing place with amazing
people!"
-Trevor Courtright and family
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.
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