And The Winners Are...
Meet the January 2008 Cat of the Month Photo Contest Winners

January 2008 Cat Connection Winner
Voted "Cat of the Month" by The Cat Connection Shop Cats


Owner: Celeste Walz
Cat's Name: Cassie
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Age: 17 1/2 years old

About the Winner:
Here is what Celeste has to say about her incredible kitty, Cassie.

"My hubby and I adopted Cassie as stray – the tiniest brown and red tabby kitten you could imagine. Cassie doesn’t really play with toys – certainly not anything we bought and paid for! Her favorite objects to play with are socks that are left unattended (especially in the middle of the night) and an old red washcloth tied up with a rubber band. She howls with victory when she “kills” it and you must come and praise her hunting skills.

As she has gotten older and a little less reliable about her litter box, she spends most of her time when we aren’t home in our master bedroom. Her favorite spot is in her “cabana” – a padded covered house. When we are home and she is out and about, she likes best to sit on my lap. She will sit on my lap for hours, which she used to never allow. She’ll stay there so long, it puts my legs to sleep. She’ll even try and sit on the arm of my office chair (which tilts and has wheels) if I’m in there too long. Her other spot is an old wicker footstool that we have had forever – she loves to get up there and look out the window and scratch. It’s the first place she goes to if she has been out of the room. If she is not in one of these places, then she is at her art glass feeding bowls (purchased at The Cat Connection, of course!)

She has gotten more and more affectionate as she has gotten older and been through a life or two. She went through quite a lot over the past couple of years (digestive and bowel issues) so she has actually lost a bunch of weight as of recent – she’s down to just under 8 pounds from 13! – but she has stabilized and is doing well enough for an old girl.  We no longer have to pill her daily or give her shots every other week (whew), although when we travel now she stays at the vet because she is a bit “fragile”.

She is probably one of the most well traveled kitties ever – she has been to 38 states including Alaska, and three Canadian provinces. She used to sit on the dashboard of the RV and watch the world go by - we traveled with her and our cocker spaniel for almost 2 years.  Last summer we even brought her to Colorado with us for a two week trip and she did just fine. She is most happy when we are both in the same room, scratching her head – esp. the chin and ears."

Congratulations Cassie!

January 2008 Cat Connection Winner
Voted "Cat of the Month" by the On-Line Poll Participants

Owner: Kay Williford
Cat's Names:Scooter
Breed: Abyssinian mix
Age: 5 1/2 years old

About the Winner:
Here is what Kay has to say about her wonderful kitty, Scooter.

"Scooter is an Abyssinian mix. Sadly, she was stepped on by accident at about 4-5 weeks of age by a 250 lb man. I do animal rescue & bottle feed orphans, so when he brought her to me, I made sure to take her to the greatest vet in my experience, Dr. Chris Wilson in Beaverton Oregon.

We attempted physical therapy but she was not able lift up her hind legs or walk on either of them. We believe she had injured the nerves in the lower spine & the sciatica nerves. The right leg froze at the knee so we made the decision to have it amputated. She still would not stand up on her other hind leg. She got around extremely well "scooting" about, 100% independently. She was fast!

When new people come to my home & they are standing or walking, she is sometimes fearful of being stepped on.  Luckily once they sit, she’ll race towards them for some love!  When I purchased the animal wheelchair/cart for her, she enjoyed getting around faster and her fear of being stepped upon let up greatly. She even learned how to open doors (un-latched) to get in & out of the house! 

The cart company saw her and recommended having the second leg removed due to her catching the other immobile leg on things as she played. Also sitting on the one hip caused twisting of the spine causing her pain. Dr. Wilson removed the second leg. Upon awakening she darted out of the cage and was going full speed ahead! She pulled her sutures twice before we even got out the door! We could tell the leg pain was a big issue because when it was removed, she was finally free! Within a month, I even caught her on tape catching a mouse all on her own. It was even shown on 3 local news stations!

Scooter has a brother cat named "Stinker" (Maine Coon mix) and a brother dog "Buddy" (Rottweiler mix). Scooter is the queen over all others in the house! She gets first pick at fresh food & water. She will block doorways making them stop & play with her.  She plays w/ a laser light & bats around balls & catnip mice.

Her favorite thing to do is to cuddle and steal your heart!  She has been certified as a "companion animal". I take her to teach people that even though she has a disability, she still has a wonderful and fulfilling life and is very happy and healthy. Her apparent happiness makes everyone think twice about euthanizing an animal when they can still have a wonderful quality of life. Sometimes people will feel sorry for Scooter when I tell them she only has two legs and not four. Once they see her happiness and hear her purring, it opens their eyes to what unconditional love truly is. They see her play like a kitten and are simply amazed. They are then delighted to see handicapped animals do not "suffer" as some are led to believe.

I myself have my own disabilities & do not think I could make it through so easily without her. She knows what I need and pours it on by the tanker loads!"

Congratulations Scooter!

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