More Alumni Animals - Cats

PRECIOUS
Precious was adopted by Christine Townsend on September 24, 2000. In Christine's words:
When I saw her on the website, I thought she was beautiful. When I came to see her at the PetsMart, I was again impressed with her poise in that environment and her calmness when I held her (she flopped belly up in my arms like a ragdoll and still does). Precious has become even more of a "Lady" since I adopted her. She is lovely inside and out. She comes when her name is called. She loves belly rubs. She comforted her first brother, Mr. Kitty, when he was sick and now, she is watching over and helping me "raise" a new baby brother, Whiskers. One morning soon after I got him, Whiskers ran up the stairs and through the open door. Now he was loose in a 3-story townhouse. I looked, didn't find him, but had to get ready for work. Evidently, Precious "found" him, guided him back downstairs, and I found her lying across the open doorway with Whiskers sitting at the bottom of the stairs looking up at her. Precious is a very special "spirit" and I am so glad she was rescued from the streets so that she could come into my life.

CHLOE
Chloe was adopted by Dalene Erickson. In her words:
Chloe didn't know how to be a cat when she came to live with us. Luckily she had many other cats to learn from. They taught her to cover up her feces when she used her litterbox (hurrah); to jump on the table, assume a guilty look and jump off quickly when an adult came in the room, among others. Chloe is the original "copycat" and irritated Madeleine when she copied Mad's 3am "I'm killing my (toy) mouse" scream - exactly. It was a good day when she learned to scream in her own voice, because now I can tell them apart.
Chloe was afraid of everything, and didn't let us touch her for about a month. We have now graduated to Chloe being carried short distances! I make sure I brush another cat first, Chloe watches, then allows herself to be brushed - same with nail trimming.
Chloe is wonderful, and we are very lucky to have her.
Here she is with her housemates - Chloe is the one on the far left.

SAM & LIBBY
Sam and Libby (brother and sister from the same litter) were adopted by Beatriz Oliveira on Oct. 5, 2000. In her words:
They were born on the 4th of July last year and named after Uncle Sam and Liberty. I have not changed their names. They are getting used to their new home and enjoy chasing each other up and down the stairs. Sam is not so shy anymore and does not get spooked so easily. He was very camera shy. Libby is very photogenic and she will pose for you. Her favorite spot is right next to the scratching post. She likes to trim her nails, stand up on the scratching post and stretch up to reach the kitchen counter. Both enjoy chasing the "magic wand". Libby "talks" (meows) up a storm asking for this toy. I really enjoy having them as my pets!

October 2001 - we got this from Beatriz - It has been now over a year that I have adopted Sam and Libby- official anniversary was October 5, 2001. Here are some recent photos of both that you can use to update the SPCA alumni web page. They are doing well, are adjusted and feel very comfortable in their new home. I am very happy to have adopted them!

April 2005 - we got this from Beatriz - It is with great sadness that I am sending you this update for the Alumni Web site. Two years after I adopted her, Libby was diagnosed with kidney failure. I have been treating Libby for the past 2 1/2 years and she was doing very well until just a couple of months ago, when I had to increase her fluids and give her additional medication. A few days ago, her health deteriorated pretty quickly and I could read the suffering in her beautiful emerald eyes. She passed away Wednesday, April 13, however, she will always be in my thoughts. Libby never complained about having to get injections and let me treat her all this time.

MOCHA & CHEDDAR
Mocha (formerly Gilligan) and Cheddar (formerly Sammy) were adopted by Andrew and Sheree Moser in August 1998. In Sheree's words:
They are doing so well, and are such a source of joy in our lives. They are both shy with strangers, but otherwise are well adjusted kitties. They are very different from each other, like they divided up typical kitty traits between them. Mocha loves to purr loudly and cuddle with us, flopping down for a belly rub and waking us up in the night to be petted. Cheddar is more standoffish, but when he wants attention, he kneads and drools with abandon. In the next couple of years we hope to add a dog and children to our menagerie, but Mocha and Cheddar will always be our first two babies!

ELSA
Elsa was adopted by Angela and Allan Porowski in August 1996. In their words:
We adopted Elsa at the Thomas Jefferson Library. As we were looking at the cat next to her, she reached through the crate and batted my husband on the arm as if to say "Hey! Look at me!" When we were getting ready to make the big decision of which cat to adopt, Elsa was staring us down from the other end of the room. So you can say she picked us. And she has been controlling us ever since! But she is so cute, we don't mind being total pushovers. Elsa is a very sweet cat, and although she isn't a lap cat, she follows us wherever we go and she manages to be quite the bed hog at night. Her sense of timing is uncanny -- she knows within the minute when dinner time is. We are so thankful that the SPCA rescued Elsa, and we want to thank everyone who works to save cats like Elsa on a daily basis.

LISEL/MAGGIE
Lisel was adopted by Holly Weiss with her brother Slinky in May '96 when she was 9 weeks old and was renamed to be Maggie. In her words:
She's a very shy girl, but she loves her catnip fish as you can see. I remember when we came to the cat adoption fair at Thomas Jefferson Library. Both Slinky and Maggie fell asleep--One in my mother's arms and the other in my sister's arms. Once they fell asleep we knew they were the cats for us. We've had them both since they were 9 weeks old, and now they're a little over 4 years old and very happy cats that purr constantly.

SUKI
Suki was adopted by Stella as a cute, young kitten in July 2000 and was renamed to be Sasha Rose. In her words:
Sasha Rose is enjoying her new home. She loves the older cat who we call Mama Callie (white). Callie and Sasha get along so well that we travel together to visit the vet, friends and family. Callie loves the mini version of her self. My friends wanted to know when Callie had kittens. I tell my friends I got Sasha Rose from the SPCA of Northern Virginia!

HEATH & JAKE
Heath and Jake were adopted by Andy Taylor & Chuck Wooldridge on Memorial Day weekend 1999. In Andy's words:
We met them at a pet adoption fair at Seven Corners and SPCA of NOVA wanted them to be placed together so we took them both! They have a wonderful life now and get along well with our old cat Max. Their favorite thing to do is to spend the day in the glass enclosed sun room watching the birds and squirels. We love them so much and are looking forward to spending a long long time with these good boys. The pictures are of them sitting in their repective chairs in "their" sun room.

Their foster mom remembers them: How could I forget the Jake and Heathster? They were monsters! Anyway, I did the housecheck on them and was very happy that Andy and Chuck love them so much because I was a little worried that no one would be able to stand their bad habits! They are lucky cats to have such a beautiful and loving home! Jake was adopted as a kitten to a woman that didn't really like cats but she had gotten a kitten, Heath, for her son and was smart enough to realize that he needed a playmate. Unfortunately, it became annoying to have them because she had never trained them to have proper manners and her son's best friend was allergic to them and couldn't visit their home any longer...awww! And so she called to return Jake, as stated in the adoption contract, and asked if we could help her find a home for Heath as well. Sucker that I am, I ended up with both of them as foster cats. They were in to everything! I think she had kept them confined to one room so when they came to my place they went nuts and had a great time destroying things!

ANDY/KIRBY
Andy was adopted by Pat Rentz as a 6 month old kitten in September 1999 and renamed to be Kirby. In her words:
He was an abandoned kitten, brother to Nicky. He was, however, very shy and no one wanted to adopt him. I saw him at the Cat Show in Chantilly and fell in love when he looked up at me with those big yellow eyes and pink nose! I was just adopting another kitten from the Fairfax Animal Shelter and wanted to have two. "Andy" was fond of grooming other kittens and liked company, so I thought he would be perfect. He and Monkey, my other kitten, got along fine and are now best buddies. For the first 3 months I had him he was extremely shy - hid under the couch, wouldn't let me touch him or pick him up, ran and hid when anybody came to the house. I was resigned to having a shy, introverted cat. Little by little though he started to get braver. He's now a year and 3 months old and I can't believe it's the same cat!  He's very self confident, the first to investigate new people or things at the house! His favorite things are playing fetch with his foam rubber ball (yes, really - I get tired of throwing it), "helping" me on the computer, curling up on my lap when I watch TV or curling up in the kitchen chair with Monkey. 

RUSTY/COOPER
Rusty was adopted by Karisue Wyson of Alexandria in June 2000 and renamed to be Cooper. In her words:
If I'd searched for a hundred years, I wouldn't have found a more perfect kitty. FYI - The name "Cooper" was derived from the description of his color as "copper" ... I thought "Cooper" was more fitting so that's what I settled on. Cooper is having a great time being the center of attention not just in my home but in my entire neighborhood in Fairfax. He is the rare cat in a world of dog owners and everyone is happy to say hello to him as he watches the world from his window. His favorite toy so far is a catnip snake that his Auntie Liz gave him, but he's such a happy cat he manages to amuse himself with just about anything. He's been eating quite a bit and even though he was a little thin when I got him, he's managing to fill out very well. His favorite place to lay around is -- unfortunately -- on my dining room table (as you'll see in picture #1). At least he stays on the runner most of the time!
Meet his new sister Sadie Faith.

CLARENCE & ROS
These 2 kitties were adopted by Chris & Susan Collins. In their words:
Clarence, the most fastidious cat imaginable, was, unbelievably, a feral cat living in the environs of the Lorton Reformatory. He'd been humanely captured, neutered, and deemed domesticable...and indeed he is! A wonderful fellow, he sleeps with us, and also Nellie as well as a sweet little black foundling named Rosalind. Clarence has taught Ros (an abandoned 4-week old kitten) to clean herself, and Rosalind has given Clarence a spunkiness and assertiveness he didn't know he had! Coming from his wild background, in some ways, we think Clarence may be our biggest surprise and miracle of all.

GRETEL
Gretel was adopted by Kristen Koines and her husband in July 1997. Gretel is the daughter of Lacey. Kristen writes: Gretel came to us as a kitten when we were looking for a play mate for our rambunctious first kitten. Gretel not only calmed the first one down, but now rules the roost of two more additions and keeps order amongst them all. She is very affectionate towards me and my husband, although a little skittish in front of strangers. We feel very lucky to have found a cat with such a good heart.

TOM
Tom was adopted by Steve & Veronica Smith in July 1999 at the age of 9. They saw him on the website and came all the way from DC to adopt him. After adopting him they discovered he has a slight heart murmur, but that did not bother them because they love him very much! They write:Thought you all would like to see how Tom is doing after 9 wonderful months with us (we don't remember what life was like before him!). As you can see, Tom has successfully grabbed the ultimate power in our family. We cannot thank you enough for this bundle of joy.

YANKEE/SLINKY
Yankee (now named Slinky) was adopted by Holly Weiss in May '96 when he was 9 weeks old. In this recent picture, he's 4 years old, and very comfortable in the shoebox he squeezed himself into. He lives with his sister Maggie. In the picture below, he's bending the rules a little bit by keeping his hind legs on the chair while the rest of him is flopped onto the dinner table.

BELLE/BELLA
Belle (now named Bella) was adopted by Donna and Mike Demase in March 1999. Donna and Mike write:
She's doing wonderful and is very happy! She's become extremely affectionate and is always in search of a warm lap.

SIMBA
Proudly owned by Sherry and Catryna Garay who adopted Simba in July of 1993. Sherry writes:
He was only 8 weeks old. He was rescued with his mother and siblings from under a woodpile. He is shown here enjoying catnip in a box.

INGRID/PEBBLES
Ingrid was adopted by Sandy Soto (our Cat Volunteer Coordinator) and renamed to Pebbles. Sandy writes:
When I first met her she was in a cage with her littermates hissing and spitting at anyone who came near. When I saw her again one week later she was a little lovebug and has been friendly, sweet and adorable ever since.

LACEY
She was rescued from the camel yard at the National Zoo along with her 7 kittens. Sandy Soto was her foster mom and Sandy could not bear to part with her. She's a sweetheart who never has gotten over her zoo adventure and to this day is still jumpy.
Update October 2001 - Lacy has vaccine site sarcoma and is very sick. Click here to read how you can make a donation via IMOM to help her.
Update December 2001 - Lacey received her last radiation treatment on the 21st and is doing wonderfully! Lacey has been given a new lease on life and should live for many years to come. In all she received $4,050 in donations via the IMOM site!

BRANDI
She was rescued at the age of one year after somone spayed her, clipped her ear, and put her back onto the mean streets. Life on the streets was horrible, she has a b.b. lodged behind her ear to prove it! It took her a full 9 months not to be terrified every time a child walked by. She is now enjoying the pampered life - Thanks to her mommy, Sandy Soto.

NICKY/NORA NEKO
Nicky was adopted as a kitten by Margaret Dempsey and her husband in July 1999 and renamed to Nora Neko. In Margaret's words:
I was looking over websites of various rescues and shelters in the area, hoping to find a cat or kitten. Nora Neko(then Nicky) was among the cats and kittens pictured on the SPCA's site. We were charmed by his silky medium length black fur and big copper eyes... so we adopted him! He was very shy at first, but he has become very close to us. He is a wonderful cat, very gentle and social. He is very petite and beautiful, but he is always playing like a silly kitten. His brother Andy is also on this page.

This page was last updated on 12/17/06.