Tagged: Petfinder - The Conscious Cat

Petfinder

April 30, 2013

Petfinder’s Funniest Cat Contest – Win $4,750

Petfinder wants to see your funny cats – and you could have a chance to win $250 for yourself, and $4500 for your favorite shelter!

I bet some of your cats are much funnier than some of the famous internet cats, so why not enter the contest? All you need to do is enter your cat’s photo on Petfinder before May 21, 2013.

From May 22 to June 22, 2013, members of the public will be able to vote on the cat that they feel is the funniest cat. Limit one vote per person, per day. The entry with the highest number of votes will be designated the Grand Prize Winner.

Maybe I should enter the photo of kitten Ruby, shown above, in the contest?Continue Reading

November 20, 2012

Holiday 2012: Can you foster a lonely cat for the holidays?

Feline Lifestyle| 15 Comments

Our cats will spend the holidays surrounded by those who love them, in a warm home, with full tummies and plenty of toys. That’s quite a contrast to how shelter cats will spend their holidays. For them, they’re not going to be any different from any other day spent waiting for that one human who will rescue them and give them a forever home.

To help make the holidays brighter for some of these shelter cats, Petfinder.com is sponsoring its annual Foster A Lonely Pet For The Holidays program, and asks you to open your heart and home to a cat from a shelter or rescue group this holiday season. For more information and a list of participating shelters and rescue groups, please visit Petfinder.com. Staff and volunteers at each organization will be available to answer questions about the fostering process and help select a pet who will be a good match for the foster family’s lifestyle.Continue Reading

November 14, 2012

In praise of senior cats

Feline Lifestyle| 33 Comments

November is Adopt-a-Senior Pet month. If you’re looking to add a new feline family member, don’t overlook the joys of adopting an older cat. Jane Harrell, executive producer at Petfinder.com, lists 10 reasons senior cats rule, and I agree with all of them. With a senior cat, you know what you’re going to get: the cat’s personality is already formed, so you’ll have a better idea of how she’ll fit into your family. Senior cats are usually already trained in the ways of living with humans. They’re purr-fect if you’re looking for a snuggle buddy. And most importantly, since senior cats are often the last to get adopted, you’ll literally be saving a life when you adopt one of these mature felines.

My own experience of adopting an older cat came with Buckley, who was most likely somewhere between eight and ten years old when I fell in love with her. Even though she was only with me for three short years, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss a single moment.

Today, I’d like to introduce you to three senior torties from around the country who are looking for their forever homes to live out their golden years.Continue Reading

September 17, 2012

Celebrate “less adoptable” cats this week

Feline Lifestyle| 24 Comments

Black cats. FIV+ cats. Senior cats. Special needs cats. These are just some of the factors that can make a cat seem ”less adoptable.” To promote these special cats (and dogs, too), Petfinder has designated September 17 – 23 as “Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week.” I actually don’t like the term “less adoptable” at all, which is why I put it in quotes – I prefer to think of these cats as extra special.

The statistics are sobering: according to Petfinder, these “less-adoptable” cats are likely to spend nearly four times longer than the average pet waiting for a home. As anyone who has ever lived with a special needs cat knows, these wonderful cats make some of the most loving and wonderful companions. Today, I’d like to introduce you to a few of them that are looking for their forever homes.

How can you help these cats find a home? If you’re looking for a feline family member, consider opening your heart and home to one of these extra special cats. You won’t regret it. If you’re not ready to adopt right now, there are other ways you can help:Continue Reading

November 23, 2011

Pledge to help senior cats

Feline Lifestyle| 6 Comments

Earlier today, we featured some beautiful senior cats who are looking for their forever homes. But even if you can’t adopt right now, you can still help senior cats, and it’s as easy as telling someone about how wonderful they are.

In honor of Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month, Petfinder has teamed up with Bissell and is asking everyone to pledge to tell one person about why senior pets are great. By pledging, you’re also automatically entered to win a Bissell Lift-Off® Deep Cleaning System for yourself and one for the Petfinder shelter or rescue group of your choice . Click here to pledge to help senior cats (and dogs, too).Continue Reading

September 19, 2011

Adopt a “less adoptable” pet week

Feline Lifestyle| 9 Comments

Black cats. FIV+ cats. Senior cats. Special needs cats. These are just some of the factors that can make a cat seem “less adoptable.” To promote these special cats (and dogs, too), Petfinder has designated September 17 – 25 as “Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week.” I actually don’t like the term “less adoptable” at all, which is why I put it in quotes – I prefer to think of these cats as extra special.Continue Reading

August 30, 2011

Take You Cat to the Vet Week Contest winner

Giveaways| 0 comments

Congratulations, Michelle!
Your story about Mickey Jagger is the winner of our
“Take Your Cat to the Vet Week” contest!

I hope you’ll enjoy Vet Confidential: An Insider’s Guide to Protecting Your Pet’s Health. Look for an e-mail from The Conscious Cat.

I actually used a random number generator to pick the winner, because all the stories were great, and it was too hard to pick one any other way. I encourage you to read all the great stories, and remember, cats need veterinary care once or twice a year, not just during “Take Your Cat to the Vet Week!”

August 19, 2011

Take Your Cat to the Vet Week Contest: Share your stories

Feline Health, Giveaways| 25 Comments

August 22 through August 28, 2011 is National Take Your Cat to the Vet Week. Created by the makers of Feline Pine in 2009, National Take Your Cat to the Vet Week is sponsored by Petfinder.com this year. The purpose of this campaign is to remind cat parents to take their cats to the vet for regular physical exams.

Why is there a need for this campaign? According to statistics, cats are substantially underserved when it comes to veterinary care. Even though cat owners consider their cats just as much members of the family as dog owners do, a 2006 study showed that dogs were taken to veterinarians more than twice as often as cats, averaging 2.3 times a year, compared with 1.1 times a year for cats, and significantly more dogs (58%) than cats (28%) were seen by a veterinarian one or more times a year. Cat owners often express a belief that cats “do not need medical care.” According to Dr. Michele Gaspar, DVM, DABVP (Feline), Feline Pine’s in house veterinarian, “there is a misconception that cats are independent and they don’t need the level of care that dogs do. Cats also don’t show disease well. We can have cats who look normal but they are covering up a serious illness.”

The American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends annual wellness exams for cats of all ages, with more frequent exams for seniors, geriatrics and cats with known medical conditions. I recommend bi-annual exams for cats age 7 and older. Cats are masters at hiding discomfort, and annual or bi-annual exams are the best way to detect problems early. Once a cat shows symptoms, treatment may be much more extensive, not as effective, and will also cost more.

One barrier to regular vet visits for many cat parents is the fact that vet visits can be very stressful for cats. During National Take Your Cat to the Vet, Petfinder.com will provide tips for making vet visits easier for cats and for getting the most out of your visit. Be sure to like Petfinder’s Facebook page so you don’t miss any of their tips.

We’re holding a contest during National Take Your Cat to the Vet week to help spread the word about this important campaign. Share a story of your cat’s vet visit in a comment. Allegra, Ruby and I will judge the entries, and the best story will win a copy of Vet Confidential: An Insider’s Guide to Protecting Your Pet’s Health by Louise Murray, DVM. Contest ends August 29. For an additional chance to win, share this contest on Facebook or Twitter, and post the link in a separate comment.

Amara found her forever home during Adopt-a-Cat Month

Feline Lifestyle| 10 Comments

June was designated as Adopt-a-Cat Month by the American Humane Association, and I featured some adoptable cats looking for their forever homes in previous posts (click here and here to see the cats). I also asked readers to contact me if they had adopted any cats during the month of June.

Amara was one of hopefully many lucky cats who were adopted in June. Conscious Cat reader Gail found the now 3 1/2 month old kitten at the Quincy Humane Society in Quincy, IL. She was looking for a companion for her 2-year-old cat Wilson, also a rescue cat.

Gail said that after deciding to add another cat to her home, she researched what would be the best fit. She decided a younger, female cat would be the best match for Wilson, and Gail began looking. She made several trips to the local shelter and spent hours on Petfinder.com, where she found Amara. She was described as playful and laid back, which has proven to be true.

And, as you can see in the photo above, she turned out to be the purrfect companion for Wilson. Within 24 hours of meeting for the first time she and Wilson were playing together. A week later, as you can see from the photo above, they were best friends.

Congratulations on your forever home, little Amara!

Help 15,000 pets find homes this weekend

Feline Lifestyle| 3 Comments

This weekend, from July 15-17, 2011, over 1,500 shelters and rescue groups are holding what could be the largest adoption event in history to help celebrate Petfinder.com’s 15th birthday. More than 17 million pets have been adopted through Petfinder since 1996. Petfinder’s goal is to help 15,000 pets find homes this weekend.

For more information, and to find a participating shelter or rescue group near you, visit their 15th Birthday Page.

What can you do to help them reach their goal? Aside from the obvious, you can help spread the word. Petfinder offers customizable flyers on their website to help with announcing your rescue group’s adoption events. You can donate your Facebook status this weekend and feature adoptable pets. You can make a donation to the Petfinder Foundation to help homeless pets.

Here are three cats who are available for adoption from participating organizations. If you’re planning to adopt a cat this weekend, look for an adoption event in your area.

Stevie and Britt are fostered through Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation in Northern Virginia. These two stunning kittens enjoy playing with each other and will enjoy playing with you. Stevie, the girl, is a little more outgoing than her brother Brit. These two kittens have been in a home with other cats and do well with a playful buddy. They need a home where their new family will take the time to help them acclimate since they are still quite shy around new people.

Phil is being fostered through Kitten Associates, a Connecticut based rescue founded by Robin Olson of Covered in Cat Hair fame. This 5 year old Ragdoll mix is a blue-eyed love muffin who loves to purr and hang out and gets along great with his family and other cats. He’s a big cat, so there’s a lot of him to love, but at 15 pounds, he’s not fat. His fur is plush and thick and he likes to be brushed, too.

Thank you for nominating us for two Petties.
We need your help to win – please vote every day!

Click here to vote

March 6, 2011

Adopt the Internet: Help Petfinder spread the word about adoptable pets

Feline Lifestyle| 8 Comments

In honor of Petfinder’s 15th birthday, they are asking pet lovers everywhere to pledge to spread the word online about adoptable pets on March 15, 2011.

What You Can Do

Add a badge to your Web site to show your support.
Take their pledge that you will tell one person about pet adoption on March 15. By pledging, you’ll enter for a chance to win one of 10 Pet Hair Eraser^® Vacuums from BISSELL.
Caption a Petfinder adoptable-pet photo on ICanHasCheezburger! The photos with the best captions will be featured on the ICanHasCheezburger.com homepage on March 15.
On March 15, donate your Facebook status and photo to an adoptable Petfinder pet. Simply replace your photo with one from the Adopt-the-Internet All-Stars gallery and post one of these messages:
- More than 320,000 pets are waiting for homes on Petfinder.com. Help Petfinder Adopt the Internet today and find forever homes for as many as possible!
- I adopted my pet from Petfinder and now I want to help get this pet adopted! If you want to help pets in need of forever homes, please repost this!
On March 15, share an adoptable Petfinder pet on Twitter with the hashtag #adopttheinternet.
Add a link to your blog, Facebook or Twitter post to this page! (Come back on March 15 to find out how.)

Pledge to Help Pets

By taking Petfinder’s pledge that you will tell one person about pet adoption on March 15, you’ll also be entering for a chance to win one of 10 Pet Hair Eraser^® Vacuums from Petfinder’s partner BISSELL.

(Read the sweepstakes rules to learn more.)

I Pledge to Help Homeless Pets!

Petfinder

Congratulations, Michelle! Your story about Mickey Jagger is the winner of our “Take Your Cat to the Vet Week” contest!

Congratulations, Michelle!
Your story about Mickey Jagger is the winner of our
“Take Your Cat to the Vet Week” contest!