These five cats will give you a major dose of summertime fun

It's getting sticky outside, and the kids are home from school. They don't want to go to camp. You don't want to go work. Instead, let's all just stay home, enjoy the air conditioning, adopt a cat or two, and spend the rest of the summer chilling with the kitties.

These five cats would do the trick. There's a cat here to fit most needs, from sleepy seniors to spry young kittens, all ready and waiting to be adopted from local Kansas City shelters. Just click on the link to learn more about them.

Loretta

Loretta is as happy just thinking about her future home.Photo byMeowy Matchmakers

Loretta is a country kitty looking for a place to call home. A very pregnant Loretta was brought into Meowy Matchmakers after a good samaritan found her on the streets. It wasn't long before she had her kittens, and, as is often the case with shelter cat families, all of her children have been adopted away, leaving poor, forlorn Loretta behind.

Loretta is a small, young cat, a beauty with a subtle tortoiseshell coat who loves to sunggle and swat at feathertoys. You can learn more about this meowin' mama here.

Betty

Betty is getting tired of waiting for you to come and adopt her.Photo byCats Pawjamas

Betty, from Cats Pawjamas, was featured on these pages about six months ago, and she still hasn't been adopted! What's the deal Betty? She's an easy going cat with a sweet demeanor, but she does have diabetes. That might have prevented some folks from giving her a chance, but the good news is that her diabetes is now in remission and only requires occasional check-ups from the vet.

Also, while she's nice to people, she can be mean to other cats, so she'd be best as the only cat in a home (although she'd be fine with dogs or gentle children). That further limits her potential suitors, but she'd be a great option if you're looking for a girl that doesn't require the constant attention of a kitten but will still give you plenty of affection and companionship. Sound good? Why not give Betty a try? You can learn more about her here.

Bob

Bob giving his "selfie face."Photo byGreat Plains SPCA

Next up is Bob from Great Plains SPCA. Can you spot the trend here? All the cats so far have people names: Bob, Betty, Loretta. I tried to keep that up with all the entries this week, but I couldn't. The last two cats have some wild names. Anyway...what about Bob?

Bob is a sweetheart, but, like Betty, comes with a health issue that might make him difficult to adopt. Bob has kidney disease. Before you scroll to the next cat, his vet says he is doing good and should have a long life ahead of him--his special diet is helping him a lot. You can give him joy and he can give you joy for a long time before those kidneys do him in. Besides, a chronic illness makes him no less deservant of a place to call home than any other cat. It just takes an extra special, caring person to find him and take him in. Hopefully, they are out there reading this now.

You can learn more about this little guy here.

Saros

I'm not sure you can get cuter than Saros.Photo byThe Friends of Parkville Animal Shelter

Saros, from the Friends of Parkville Animal Shelter, ends the streak of cats with people names. Named either after a hockey player or a cycle of time used to predict eclipses, Saros most likely won't have any difficulty being adopted. Just look at the boy!

Saros is playful. He loves to chase his brother around and chew on stuffed animals. Saros is social. He enjoys cuddling with people and sleeping on their arms, yes their arms. Saros is hard to resist!

You can learn more about him by filling out a pre-adoption application here. Submitting the application will not obligate you to anything. You really should adopt him right away though, while he is still small enough to fit on your arm.

Bia

The beautiful Bia--can you find the ear of one of her kittens in the picture?Photo byThe Animal Rescue Alliance

Last but not least is Bia, from The Animal Rescue Alliance, a one-year-old tuxedo with an adorable black nose. Bia is another mom, like Betty, but Bia's kittens are still available to adopt becaue they're very recent additions to the shelter. Hopefully the whole crew will be adopted quickly, maybe even together.

Bia is terrific with humans and is one of those cats that is so appreciative of being given a nice home to stay that she will just shower you with affection. TARA isn't sure how well she would do with other cats or dogs, but with people (and her own kittens), she's absolutely fantastic. You can learn more about her here.

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!