Southside Animal Shelter has many successful adoptions! If you would like to share your story to publish in a newsletter or online, please email us your story as well as a photo of your Happy Tail.
Hannah
Hannah
After visiting a sleepy Persian cat several times at the Cherry Tree PetSmart, I finally brought Hannah home in May. A trip to the vet and the groomer revealed a gorgeous orange Persian with plenty of personality and a big heart for everyone she meets. Hannah loves greeting guests at the door with a kiss for those who bend over to give her a pet. She welcomes me home everyday wanting to be snuggled and to tell about her day through a few squeaky meows. Hannah loves to run, jump, play with her toys and even enjoys taking a walk around the backyard on her cat leash. Bringing Hannah home has been wonderful and I thank you for her and the fantastic work you do.
Kristina M.
Hannah's is a finalist for WISH TV's Pet of the Week. Click on her picture and vote for her!
Reesie Cup and Oreo
I was browsing the petfinder.com website and ran across the most adorable pictures of Reesie Cup and Oreo late last January. My precious Miniature Pinscher, Daisy, had passed away several months before at the age of 14. I wasn't ready for another puppy but missed the companionship of a pet. I had always been a little afraid of cats but my friends kept trying to assure me that I would be fine and that cats were a lot less dependent. I wanted to find a brother and sister to adopt so they would have company while I was away and to also watch the differences between male and female cats.
I went to meet them at their wonderful foster family's home where there were other cats, dogs, children, etc. I wanted to get well socialized kittens and fell for them immediately! I got to bring them home with me a week later.
They have been great entertainment ever since! I have gotten to experience WWF Kitten Wrestling at 4am. By the way, Kitten Wrestling occurs on the bed whether there is someone in it or not. They also love to play in boxes, with toys on strings, toy mice and most especially unwinding the toilet paper roll.
They have grown up so fast! They are about 8 months old now and sleep through most of the night. Well, they at least leave the bed if they play in the middle of the night. Oreo has gotten a little belly and is bigger than his sister. Reesie is my prissy little mountain climber while Oreo is a football player who will pounce on anything whether something gets in the way or not. There are definitely differences between male and female cats!
Thank you so much! Having Oreo and Reesie in my home has provided me with much joy and laughter!
~ Becky C.
Meerkats or Pet Cats?
The two of them dozing together
Prince Spooky
We adopted Spooky from PetSmart on 86th street just before Christmas. Our daughter, Maddie, had been asking Santa for a cat for Christmas. I have always had a cat in my life for as long as I can remember and had to say goodbye to Willie,my cat of 18 years, just 4 months earlier. Since Maddie is in a wheelchair or uses crutches, we knew it would take us a while to find a cat that wasn't afraid of her equipment.
Imagine our surprise when we saw Spooky. He showed interest in Maddie right away. When we asked if we could see him, he laid down in Maddie's lap, rested his head on the armrest of her wheelchair and went to sleep. We took him home that night.
Maddie has since had surgery on her back to place rods on either side of her spine to straighten her back. The whole time she was recovering, the newly named Prince Spooky was by her side. He slept with her and stayed near her all day. He loves to watch movies with her. His favorite seems to be Over The Hedge.
He also loves attention. Whenever you stop moving, he is right there wanting to be picked up. He even sits back on his back legs (like prairie dog) and raises his front legs to be picked up! He also loves to "help" when you are trying to work on the computer. Ever tried to type one-handed while the other arm is holding a cat??
Thank you so much for helping to bring Spooky into our lives!
--The Kennedy Family
Maddie, with Prince Spooky
Ripley
Originally rescued from the streets by an Indianapolis Animal Care and Control Officer, Handsome was transferred into Southside's foster care network to recover from a pretty severe case of flea allergy dermatitis.
Thanks to Dr. Ostermeyer at Noah's Animal Hospital - Westside, all the members of the Smitman foster family, and Bob (who generously sponsored all of Handsome's medical expenses), Handsome was back to his namesake. With a personal ad on Petfinder.com, he immediately generated inquiries. While many families responded, it was John and Andrea who invited 2 year old Handsome into their home.
Handsome has been lovingly renamed Ripley and according to Andrea, "is doing well. He and Tigger still have some territorial issues but they are working through them in their own ways. Ripley loves the new comforter I put on the bed. He thinks I bought it just for him. He is also loving the new kitty condo I bought and is sharing it with Tigger, sometimes...He still hisses at the dogs, but the dogs don't care. They pretty much ignore him like they do Tigger."
Ripley on the left, with younger cat, adopted shortly after Ripley
Ripley and Tigger
Marvin
We adopted our beautiful cat, Marvin, in March. We had to put our other cat to sleep due to cancer and were absolutely devastated. We knew our other cat would need another companion to play with and snuggle. We always knew we wanted to adopt from a shelter and to give a cat a chance to be loved by a family.
Marvin (named after the great Colts football player Marvin Harrison) is a hilarious and HUGE baby!!! He loves to play with his big sister Rome. He loves to eat and play with toys. He greets me with a loud meow (actually several meows) every morning and is always there to greet us when we get home from work. He loves to snuggle. He brings my husband and I so much happiness!
Thank you.
Liz P
Rome grooming Marvin
Maze
I adopted Maze last June a couple months after my cat Tigger passed away unexpetedly. I had had Tigger since she was a baby and she was only 5 years old when she died. I had never felt such a loss in my life, she was like my child. From the outside, she appeared to be healthy but one night she dropped to the floor and never got up.
After a couple weeks, my friends and I had attended the PetFest and that's when I was sure that I wanted to adopt. I went by the Petsmart in Castleton one Saturday and there was this beautiful, one eyed cat that would reach out from her cage just so you would pay attention to her. I came back probably 3 more times within the next month and she was still there.
I had just moved out on my own and I didn't have a lot of extra money so my best friends told me that they would donate the money so that I could adopt Maze, I was so excited that we went that night to get her. As soon as we got back to my place, she walked out of her cage and plopped on the floor. From that moment, I knew she was home.
She is the sweetest cat who sleeps with her head on my pillow but still loves it when I bring home new toys for us to play with. She greets me every day when I come home from work and loves naps together on the weekends. Even though I was still mourning Tigger, we both came into each other's lives at the right time and we couldn't be happier!
Amanda G.
Izzy
Well, it's been a year since we adopted that beautiful blue point Siamese from your shelter and I wanted to tell you all how blessed we've been with Izzy in our lives. He definitely rules the roost around here...lol. He adores my teenage son and I often catch the two of them asleep together in the recliner. Izzy tends to be a bit cold natured and has learned to nose his way between the covers at night. He is the most talkative cat we've ever had and although I can tell the difference in his meows I've yet to figure out what each one is supposed to mean... he is absolutely adorable and we are so grateful to have him. Thanks again for our Izzy & the wonderful work you do.
Debbie D.
-- until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things man will not himself be free--
