These cats are looking for a place to call home (and two senior kitties' success stories)

With all the crazy news we hear these days, it is understandable that people might feel helpless to make a difference. It's true that you might not be able to cure the ills of the world, but you can, quite easily in fact, make a huge, positive difference in the life of a cat. Best of all--you reap the rewards too.

Good news from the Friends of Parkville Animal Shelter, regular readers (with amazing memories) might remember Hazel, an older cat who has been featured on these pages twice and had been at the shelter for over a year. She finally found a permanent home--congratulations Hazel! Also Bella who was featured here just last week, the twelve year old tabby from Hawaii, was adopted too. Congratulations Bella! And thank you to the families who adopted them.

Hazel finally found a home!Photo byFriends of Parkville Animal Shelter

Bella, featured here just last week, is now living in the lap of luxury.Photo byFriends of Parkville Animal Shelter

Alhough you missed out on Hazel and Bella, the following cats are adoptable from local Kansas City shelters. Not every cat is for everybody, but hopefully there's one on this list that's right for you.

Button

Button is as cute as one.Photo byCats Pawjamas

First up, from Cats Pawjamas, is a kitten that's as cute as a button. In fact, Button is her name. She loves following around her feline sisters and her human friends and always has a shocked look on her face. I'm sure that "resting scared face" as Cats Pawjamas puts it, will go away as she becomes more accustomed to her world, and everything around her becomes slightly less fascinating.

Some of Button's siblings are available from Cats Pawjamas too--and she would be tickled to bits if you adopted her along with one her hermanos. You can learn more about Button here.

Missy

Missy coming out to play.Photo byGreat Plains SPCA

Next up, from Great Plains SPCA, is Missy, a tiny four-year-old gray cat. She's just six pounds. Missy looks a lot like my first cat, and, like my first cat, came from the mean streets of Johnson County. Missy is a mom who was living with her kittens in a homeless camp (of cats, I assume) prior to being taken in by Great Plains SPCA.

Right now, she's a bit on edge and scared with all the changes that have been going on, but she is curious about her surroundings and enjoys all the attention Great Plains gives her. Once she finds a permanent home and has some time to make her way out of her shell, she'll be a sweet, social girl. Ideally, that home would be quiet and without other cats. You can learn more about Missy here.

Grace

Grace looking chill.Photo byThe Friends of Parkville Animal Shelter

Next up is a "torbie" (so her coat is a mix of tabby and tortoiseshell) named Grace from the Friends of Parkville Animal Shelter (FOPAS). Grace was featured here about four months ago, and unfortunately, she hasn't found a home yet, unlike her former shelter mates Hazel and Bella (above). I'm not sure if they're all friends are not, but you can't blame Grace if she's a bit jealous.

At around ten-years-old, Bella is in that demographic that can be hard to adopt, but she's got a lot of spunk. You can see her in action in a cute video on her Petfinder page of her attacking a laser toy.

She's on the shy side side, so she'll need a family with a little patience. If you watch the video of her, you'll know that there's a wild child just waiting to be set free. She's also good pals with another long time shelter mate, Little Foot, who was featured here in the past as well. If you're wanting a couple of older cats, these two just might be perfect for you.

You can learn more about Grace (and Little Foot) by filling out FOPAS' pre-adoption application. There's no obligation in doing so. As an aside, FOPAS also just listed six "chiweenie" dogs available for adoption (half chihuahua/half dachshund) if any of you out there would love a little dog to carry around in your oblong purse.

Midnight Bobtail

You might have to lure Midnight Bobtail out of her safe space at first.Photo byThe Animal Rescue Alliance

Midnight Bobtail, as you may have guess from her name, is a bobtail cat. Not a bobcat, but a bobtail cat (in other words, she's got a stubby tail).

Midnight Bobtail was rescued in southern Missouri (I'd argue that southern Missouri isn't so bad that one would need to be rescued from it) and is about as affectionate as can be. At least she's affectionate once she gets to know you--you can expect she'll be shy at first in a new home. After she gets her footing though, she's all about snuggling and showing her gratitude to her family folk.

Midnight Bobtail has never been around dogs but is okay around other cats and would prefer a quiet home to call her own. She's about 1.5 years old. You can learn more about this sweetheart here.

Longhair Lilly

Longhair Lilly looking majestic.Photo byMeowy Matchmakers

I was hoping to end with an orange cat to contrast against all the gray tabbies this week, but instead I found this gorgeous longhaired gal, named, appropriately Longhair Lilly. She's from Meowy Matchmakers and is as sweet and friendly as can be.

Longhair Lilly was living in the wild when she was brought in, and I can only imagine how rough that fur would have looked untamed. Lilly has long enough fur that ideally she would be brushed daily. As a result, she's a little higher maintenance from some of the "salt of the earth" tabbies on this list, but lots of enjoyment can be found tending to your cat. It is a labor of love.

Lilly is currently living with other cats in a foster home, but ideally she would be an only cat. Meowy Matchmakers thinks she would be all right with dogs, with a gentle introduction, and would be fine with kids who are old enough to be kind and gentle with kitties (around 7+). She's also a big climber so a cat tower would make her pleased as punch. You can learn more about Longhair Lilly here.

Before we go, here's another pic of her, to get a better look at that lovely coat of hers.

Lilly could be a "Locks of Love" donor.Photo byMeowy Matchmakers

That's it for this week. Want to look at more cats? Check out my profile here. Many of the cats featured on past posts are still available!