Fat Kitty City Nitty Gritty

Introducing the 2012 Fat Kitty City Fundraising Calendar

2011-11-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

It's here! The 2012 Fat Kitty City Fundraising Calendar is available! It features some of my favorite digital paintings from throughout the last year. Here is a sneak peek:

Our cover features Edelweiss

January has the beautiful Snowy and Nina

February is our lovebirds, Kyo and PJ

This is one of the kitties in our acclimation area

Miss April is Destiny, one of our miracle kitties

Our May kitty is Buddha Baby (formerly Snickerdoodle)

One of our shyer kitties in a relaxing moment

Bella in the shade

What pretty blue eyes!

Tigre, one of our senior adoptees, and Jesse James, a seasonal feral kitty

Two feral buddies

Nilla, one of our cats with "character" (ornery kitty)

Yes, we rescue dogs too! This is Tiko

So now that you've seen the calendar, how do you get one? Any donation of $50 or more gets a calendar for free or pick one up for $20 at locations that have kindly offered to sell them for us: Bark Avenue in the El Dorado Hills Town Center, and Energetic Care Center in El Dorado Hills. We may also have some at our Folsom Petco adoption events!

Starring Tacoma and Pickles!

2011-08-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

We have lots of kittens in foster available for adoption, and Tacoma's and Pickle's foster mom was kind enough to make a video so we could see what foster life is like for this playful pair. Our foster homes are the best, but of course the goal is to get these guys adopted! Please watch the video and I dare you to resist them!

Oscar Still Needs a Home

2011-06-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

Oscar came into our rescue in January 2010 and still needs a home! The text below is a re-post, but the video is new:

Oscar was one of the Trailer Park Trash cats, and he's been at the sanctuary ever since. He was a bit grouchy when he first joined the cats here (wouldn't you be, if you were abandoned in a soon-to-be-demolished trailer park?), but he's made peace with his fellow felines now.

The only reason he seems to get passed up is that he's another one of those all-black cats, but please don't call him nondescript. Oscar is a beautiful Bombay-type, very muscular and powerful, like a miniature panther. He would be an excellent mouser--when you play with him, that piece of string or feather toy gets thoroughly killed. He means business!

He seeks affection and is not afraid to speak up when you're not paying enough attention to him, but for all that talk he's perfectly happy to curl up quietly in your lap. He would love to help you keep your place critter free in exchange for some love and affection.

Two Adoptable Tabby Cats in Foster Care

2011-05-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

I recently visited one of our foster homes to get some pictures and video. Smokey and Tommy are both very sweet cats looking for a forever home (they came in separately and don't need to go together, I'm just featuring both on the same post). Go to our adoptable cats page on www.FatKittyCity.org for more information on how to adopt one of these tabby beauties.

New Play Structure!

2011-05-08T20:04:00.001-07:00

Some Americorps volunteers recently came out to the sanctuary and put up a new play structure for the kitties! I call it the Cat Cabana. Here's a short clip of the volunteers hard at work:

Two Success Stories

2011-05-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

I've been busy crafting some videos for our adoptable kitties (and even a dog) and these got adopted almost immediately after their videos went up! How's that for success? And Boots and Baby got adopted together, yay!

Love Is in the Air

2011-02-08T13:43:00.000-08:00

Some of the cats that come into Fat Kitty City develop a special bond; Kyo and Hisser (or as I call her, Coquette) are two cats that did not arrive together, but became inseparable. You rarely see one without the other, and they're usually grooming each other or caught in a passionate embrace. And yes, all of our cats are spayed and neutered--but some loves apparently transcend all obstacles.

Trololo Cat

2010-12-26T18:07:00.000-08:00

If you've seen Trololo Man, you'll love Trololo Cat. Here are both for your viewing pleasure:

Wake Up to Little Susie

2010-12-26T16:27:00.000-08:00

Susie is a pretty little gray longhair with enormous green eyes; she's affectionate and playful. She was raised around kids and is pretty unflappable.

When I went looking for her to take some pix, I found her at the top of a cat tree and I could hear her purring from all the way across the room!

Susie would love a home of her own; I think she'd do fine with another cat, but is not thrilled with sharing her quarters with so many cats.

Let the Sunshine in

2010-12-26T16:12:00.000-08:00

Whenever I show up at the sanctuary for my shift, I'm met at the gate by a dozen or so eager feline faces. The next hour is spent with the cats jockeying for some lap time, but after a while the food becomes more interesting than my lap and they wander off.

But if I'm lucky, and I'm sitting quietly, Sunshine will pay me a visit. He is a big red and white tabby boy with the sweetest disposition.

He would do so well in a calm, adult home where his personality could really shine. At 5 years old, he's less likely to climb your curtains, but he's still playful and active. He's an affectionate but undemanding cat.

We could all do with a little more Sunshine in our lives! Won't you brighten up your winter and adopt Sunshine?

UPDATE: We're sorry to say that Sunshine passed away before he found a forever home. He was older than we originally estimated, and he will be missed by the volunteers.

Faces of Fat Kitty City fundraising calendar, 2011

2010-12-11T14:33:00.001-08:00

This year, I gathered some of my favorite digital paintings of the FKC kitties and created a calendar as a fundraiser. See the entire calendar here.

You can help Fat Kitty City with a donation of $20 or more, and get a calendar of your own! To order, email cmkitty@sbcglobal.net or strikingnotes@yahoo.com.

Season's Greetings from Fat Kitty City

2010-12-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

Have a happy holiday season, from all the critters!

Not Our Kittens, But Oh So Cute!

2010-11-20T07:53:00.000-08:00

Paintings: Autumn at the Sanctuary

2010-11-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

Autumn, the time of year when the cats start to slow down a little, trying to grab that last bit of sunshine and warmth before the cloudy days of winter take over.

Oscar the Former Grouch

2010-11-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

Oscar was one of the Trailer Park Trash cats, and he's been at the sanctuary ever since. He was a bit grouchy when he first joined the cats here (wouldn't you be, if you were abandoned in a soon-to-be-demolished trailer park?), but he's made peace with his fellow felines now.

The only reason he seems to get passed up is that he's another one of those all-black cats, but please don't call him nondescript. Oscar is a beautiful Bombay-type, very muscular and powerful, like a miniature panther. He would be an excellent mouser--when you play with him, that piece of string or feather toy gets thoroughly killed. He means business!

He seeks affection and is not afraid to speak up when you're not paying enough attention to him, but for all that talk he's perfectly happy to curl up quietly in your lap. He would love to help you keep your place critter free in exchange for some love and affection.

Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again--ADOPTED

2010-11-13T20:29:00.001-08:00

Mamma Mia is a petite tabby girl, but as you can see from the bottom photo she's not shy about throwing her weight around (she double-deckered on my lap when Bubba Gump was already in it, eventually pushing him out).

She would love to have a lap that's all her own, or a sunny window to lay in. Mamma Mia was saved from a hoarder situation and thought she had found a forever home, but after three years she's come back to us. She's looking for just the right person that will commit to a lifelong love affair.

Contact Fat Kitty City to find out more about her and to see if you're a good match for this affectionate girl.

Orlando Wants to Bloom

2010-11-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

Orlando is about 4 and a half years old, and is playful and charming. He has a beautiful swirly pattern on his side and a . . .um, substantial build.

This boy is always happy to greet the sanctuary volunteers (even if they don't have food) and likes to talk. He would love to have a captive audience all to himself, in a new home.

If you'd like to adopt this striking tabby boy, go to the cats for adoption page on Fat Kitty City to see more about how you can take him home. And the pictures on his adoption profile are pretty goofy, so you can see he likes to mug for the camera.

Save Me--Obi Wan-Kenobi--ADOPTED!

2010-11-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

Obi is so beautiful he gets paintings instead of photos for his post! Jedi knight for adoption: This Obi Wan-Kenobi is a 5-month-old, all-black neutered male. He is very tolerant of other cats, though a little shy at first with people.

Once he decides you're okay, he'll jump up in your lap for some attention. He loves to play and Obi is not much of a talker, but he makes up for it by purring. Just an all around sweet boy who gets passed over because he doesn't have any flashy markings.

See the kittens for adoption page on Fat Kitty City to find out more about how to bring Obi home.

Kiki, November Kitty of the Month

2010-11-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Kiki has a very sad story:

KiKi is an 8 year old, male, Japanese Bobtail mix. In May of this year, his owner threw him into a 3x3x4 foot cage and left him outside, with no protection from the hot Sacramento sun, because her boyfriend just “didn’t like cats”. KiKi spent months in that cage, and, while the neighbors saw him panting in the heat, no one did anything to help him.

Finally, a local pet sitter found him and convinced his owners to give him up. They brought him to Fat Kitty City for a chance at a forever home with a loving family.

Despite the horror that he experienced, KiKi is a loving, playful and talkative kitty! His short little bobtail just dances with delight when he is petted! Please watch his videos on the Fat Kitty City You Tube Channel and see how sweet he really is.

Please help KiKi forget about this past abuse and find the loving home that he deserves!

Angelica's note: When I went to take pictures and video of Kiki, he reminded me so much of one of those tuxedo Kit-Cat clocks! His green eyes are huge and follow you everywhere.

Want a little Italian romance in your life? Meet Garibaldi

2010-11-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

Garibaldi is just waiting for you to take him into your arms, where he can shower you with love and kisses. Garibaldi was adopted with Houdini but came back to us when he grew out of his tiny kitten cuteness. Maybe they'd like to stay together in a new home? They're happy to go separately too.

Those of us who appreciate cats as well as kittens know that you have a better idea of what the cat's personality will be once they've done some growing up (and Gari's got some big feet so he's still got some growing to do).

But what a personality Garibaldi has! This handsome gray marble tabby is quite the lover boy--once you sit down, he's sure to be up in your lap, purring away. Like his brother, Garibaldi loves to play and is quite the acrobat when he's after the cat fishing pole.

See more details on how to adopt Garibaldi on the Kittens for Adoption page.

UPDATE: We're sorry to say that Garibaldi passed away unexpectedly around Christmas--the necropsy showed that he possibly had heart disease, an unusual (and possibly congenital) ailment for such a young boy.

ADOPTED:Step right up and see the Amazing Houdini "disappear" from the sanctuary!

2010-10-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

You can adopt Houdini and help him reappear in a loving home! Houdini was adopted with Garibaldi when they were tiny kittens, but came back to us when he was no longer "cute." He may no longer be kitten-cute, but he's turning into quite the distinguished gentleman!

Houdini is a darling gray-and-white tuxedo boy with a sweet disposition and a playful nature. At 7 months old, he's nearly grown into his feet (as you can see from the picture of him in the bed). He's one of those boys that is happy whether he's curled in your lap (you can hear his purr from across the room) or playing with a toy.

He would love to give you a demonstration of his amazing talents! See him sleep in a sunny window! See him catch a catnip mouse! Hear him purr like an engine!

See his video here

Welcome!

2010-10-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

My name is Angelica and I volunteer at Fat Kitty City; I take photographs for the website, but my primary job is to spend time socializing the kitties.

That means I go there to basically sit in a chair (thereby providing a lap) or walk around and greet all the felines in the sanctuary. Tough job, isn't it? But since many of the cats are special needs, I genuinely believe they need affection that is completely focused on them.

Feeding, medicating, and cleaning up after all those cats is quite a job, and the sanctuary wouldn't be there at all without the dedication of Ed and Cindy Minghelli and the many volunteers. But even with all that work, it's not possible for each kitty to get the individual attention they crave without having volunteers that come out just for that purpose.

So the idea for this blog is to provide a place for myself and the other socializers to post a little bit about what makes each of the kitties special--whether they're a cuddler, playful, independent, and so on. Hopefully, this will help the adoptable cats connect with their forever homes, or possibly inspire someone to sponsor one of the permanent feline residents.

So keep checking back for pictures and biographies of our cast of characters!