raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

this saturday, m21 dropped mona off at the fabulous pour la pooch on beverly for a day of beauty, and ducked across the street to erewhon natural foods market, where i saw the below adorableness at a cat adoption table just outside the entrance to the store.

look at these sweet little faces- how can you not want one in your life?

of course we completely fell in love with one of the kittens- a little grey calico with slightly picasso-esque white markings on her face, and the furriest ears ever. i explained to the pet adoption volunteer, much as i would love to adopt another pet, i just couldn't- the atelier is full, so no new pets just now, and asked her how many kittens she had been able to place that day- who can resist a kitten, after all? with a little weariness and resignation, the volunteer replied that she had placed none- nor had she the saturday before, or the saturday before that...

this is the little 2 and half month old girl i fell for- so adorable.

shocked that the kittens weren't being adopted like hotcakes, i spoke about their plight with pour la pooch's lovely owner, gia, herself a rescue fanatic with 4 rescued cats, and she explained that the volunteer was out in front of the market all day, each and every saturday, and actually wanted to add another day to her adoption efforts, but the store would permit only one day a week.

her sister, looking like popeye as she wakes up from her nap for the photo.

so as i was driving my newly clipped and sweet-smelling little girl, mona, back home, i couldn't stop thinking about the cats, and the volunteer's dedication, and the fact that if animal lovers like gia and myself, weren't able to take the kitties, what hope did they have for permanent homes?

this mellow 5 year old orange tom was declawed by his former owners and thus a great opportunity for someone worried about a cat's destructive capacity, but without the guilt of putting them through a horribly painful and cruel operation. love his salt and pepper nose, too.

so after a food and water pit-stop at home, i decided to grab my trusty instamatic and head back up to the adoption @erewhon- if i wasn't able to take one of the kittens, perhaps i could harness the power of the internets to help- by blogging them, facebooking them and tweeting them in the hopes of finding permanent homes. chances are my efforts won't come to anything, but perhaps these sweet little faces will touch enough readers of this post to forward it on, or post it on their own blogs, or facebook it, or tweet it themselves; and on and on, until these pictures finally reach whomever they are supposed to reach, and these 6 sweet little guys can find permanent loving homes.

this sweet and petite little lady is barely a year old, and has already had a litter of kittens.

the rescue organization is the nine lives rescue center, and i know nothing about them, other then this woman is willing to rescue cats in danger of euthanization at local shelters, house them, care for them and devote every single saturday to trying to find them homes. whatever her adoption fee for these kitties is, it's not enough, that 's for sure.

one of a pair of 4 month old russian blue males- so regal.

and last, a word about cats: lots of people define themselves as "dog people", and as a former "dog person", i can tell you for a fact that a "dog person" is just someone who has never been lucky enough to have a cat in their life. cats are every bit as rewarding companions as dogs, and in fact, are in many ways a much easier animal to care for- they are self entertaining, don't need walks three times a day and groom themselves, to boot; and that "aloof" cat thing is nothing but a myth- richard the cat is every bit as affectionate as his sister mona, but in a more independent, less needy, kind of way, and that kinda just makes it all the more special when he hops in my lap, purring, looking for love.

the downside? yes, the clawing thing is a bummer- no getting around that- but like with any relationship in one's life, there are pluses and minuses, and the pluses for sure outweigh the minuses. plus, adopt a kitty, and i'll give you the name of my super cheap, super fast and highly competent upholsterer to remedy the problem!

look at how beautiful his coat is- the perfect animal for anyone obsessed with aesthetics!

i end my post with a few pleas for assistance- the number of cats and dogs in shelters is higher then ever right now because of the hideous economy, and that means animals are being put down in greater and greater numbers. if you think you could give one of these sweet kitties a home, email me in the right hand sidebar, and i'll pass on your info, or visit the rescue organization's website, or simply go to erewhon market on beverly (at the back entrance to the grove) next saturday and meet them in person. if you don't live in los angles, and one of these beauties is calling out to you, visit petfinder.com to find a little friend in your area- there are plenty to go around right now!

and please,share this post with anyone you think might be interested, or repost it on your on blog, or facebook it, or tweet it, or send a smoke signal, or whatever you can do to help me find homes for these little furry beasts!

thank you!

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