Happy Birthday Geisha!

"Like my crown and my pretty cake with black kitties?"

Geisha was the first Riverfront rescue kitten and today she's turning 4. 

Today Geisha is living the good life--indoors, highrise condo (while she doesn't complain we know she's not pleased living on the 40th floor where she only sees buzzards and not regular birds) fancy digs, pretty accessories and plenty of naps and catnip. Geisha is a proud petite supermodel kitty and poses for photos and graces many greeting cards and calendars.  OK mostly for Riverfront Cats communication pieces.  She's not picky. Not the Diva like her cousin...

[singing] "It's my birthday and I'll wear what I want to..."

"What is my birthday wish?... Your vote!"

PLEASE VOTE FOR RIVERFRONT CATS IN THE PETTIES. CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Rags to Riches Contest--Charlie's Magic Carpet to Abu Dhabi

 Charlie is the new Richie Rich

 UPDATE: Congratulations to CAREN GITTLEMAN of www.catchatwithcarenandcody.com

It's that time again to celebrate another rescue and successful adoption. A year has passed since Charlie was rescued, adopted and rode the magic carpet to an exotic new home--Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates!

Charlie's story is special. So much that we devoted a three-part series of blog postings. For a brief recap before we get to the contest, Charlie was dumped and abandoned in our neighborhood.  In the nick of time, he was adopted by a young couple.  But then Nina and Felipe were leaving Miami and moving to the Middle East! What about Charlie? As responsible pet parents, they planned and coordinated special air travel for their new family member and spared no expense. No hesitation.  We wondered about the care of cats at a local cattery in Abu Dhabi and Charlie's adjustment to a condo in the desert.

Charlie is living the good life. From the humid, palm tree city of Miami, to the desert and palm tree city of Abu Dhabi, Charlie has struck it rich!   So now it's time to celebrate with another RAGS TO RICHES contest.

 Since the theme of Charlie's story is faraway travel, Riverfront Cats is giving away snazzy travel prizes  we know you will love! ONE lucky winner receives:

• A $100 airline e-gift card for your choice of American or Delta Airlines.

• Your choice of red or white handsome travel tote with cat imprint.

• A hand held digital scale to easily weigh your luggage. 

Where would you go if you win? 
 Let us know by leaving a comment below.

OK now for the rules. Please read carefully as this contest will utilize the Rafflecopter. If you never used Rafflecopter, it's easier than it appears.  The trick is to click on the down arrow buttons next to the numbers like "+1". Then enter information if requested, and then click Enter. Easy Peasy!

There are two requirements.  
1. Leave a comment on this posting (articles in blogs are called "postings") or any other posting (by scrolling down to end of the posting and click "Comments" and add your comment)  AND  
2. Submit your email address--please see Rafflecopter below and in the box where it states "Please leave a blog post comment..." click on the down arrow next to "+1" and a drop down box appears where you can enter your email, then click "ENTER".  It's that easy! (Your email address is strictly for a way to contact the winner and will not be shared or disclosed). Leaving a comment and submitting your email is mandatory.  There are other ways to gain additional entries but they are not required.

This contest is open to residents of U.S. Canada, U.K. and Australia and New Zealand. Contest ends at midnight August 1, 2013. The winner will be announced any day after August 1 and will receive an email from us. Winner must reply within 48 hours.

This is our way of giving back to you our supporters, followers and donors. THANK YOU and Good luck!
And a huge thanks to our generous donors for the prizes!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please remember to Vote for RIVERFRONT CATS and ZEE ZOEY in the Petties so we can continue rescuing more cats and educating the masses about responsible pet care to reverse the rate of homeless pets.

Click here to log-in. 

Best Cause/Rescue Blog - Riverfront Cats
Best Blog Post - Riverfront Cats
Best Designed Blog - Zee Zoey

We're in the Petties!

To our new followers, Riverfront Cats has been nominated for a Pettie, an award bestowed to popular pet bloggers.

We are so thrilled as this is our first time entering and we are finalists for two categories. Riverfront Cats is a young blog and small nonprofit compared to our fellow finalists.  We appreciate them as many finalists are friends.  So it's all in friendly spirit. Working with feral cats we see plenty of clawing and hissing. So this is a refreshing and fun challenge!

To win, we need your help to VOTE DAILY until July 31. It's very simple! Log in here using your Facebook or email. Find the categories, and select Riverfront Cats and Zee & Zoey.

• Riverfront Cats - Best Cause Blog
• Riverfront Cats - Best Blog Post
• Zee & Zoey - Best Designed Blog (Deb Barnes has selected our nonprofit to receive the donation).

What do we win? A trophy and $1,000 donation. We could really use the funding to spay and neuter more cats and rescue more kittens and especially black cats from the streets, treat and care for them, and find them permanent, loving homes.

Thank you for taking a few seconds to vote.
Thank you for caring.
Thank you for making a difference!

Update on Leroy, the amputee

"So this is how humans live.
Didn't take long to get used this comfy, soft, ant-free, non concrete bedding."

We have an update on Leroy, the outdoor community black cat that lost his back hind leg.  His recuperation is going smoothly and he's adjusting to living indoors.  Leroy is certainly enjoying sleeping on a cool, not humid, soft human bed instead of hard, hot concrete.

"... but I miss climbing and running.
These condos don't have any trees or lumber piles like my old backyard."

But there's more good news!  Our volunteer Sabrina has decided to keep him along with her three other cats.  It was evident Leroy was in shock from both losing his leg and adjusting to a new environment. Often for cats a strange environment is more stressful than losing a limb. Given that Leroy was comfortable with Sabrina and allowed her and other volunteers to pet and hold him, we knew finding him a new home would cause additional stress.  So for now, he's happy.

We are still collecting donations to pay off the credit card bill for his treatment and surgery ($2,600). No amount is too small or large. We are extremely grateful for any amount whether it's $20 or $200 or $2000. Simply click the button on the right.

Aside from losing his leg, Leroy is a healthy cat and exhibits signs of curiosity and adventure.  He clearly misses climbing trees and running around. Exercise is important for all pets to prevent obesity and other health complications.  A cat tree would be ideal where he can climb easily and use his three limbs in a limited environment like his condo. If anyone would like to donate a cat tower here are a couple that would fit in his new home. Please email us for an address  riverfrontcats@yahoo.com.

These happy endings keeps us going in this tough line of work. Everyday we receive emails and calls of residents finding kittens, someone having to give up their pet cat, an elderly person who has passed and loved ones struggle to find homes for their pets...So we revel in these few victories, these precious moments.

Purchase the Espresso Lotus Cat Tower here  

Purchase cat tree resort here

Thank you for your support. Thank you for caring.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We're a Petties Finalist! Please remember to vote daily until July 31 in the Petties to help us win an award and a donation. This will help us pay Leroy's vet bill and save more stray, feral and black cats!

Here are the three categories to vote for to help us win!

• Riverfront Cats - Best Cause Blog
• Riverfront Cats - Best Blog Post
• Zee & Zoey - Best Designed Blog (Deb Barnes has selected our nonprofit to receive the donation).

Here is the link to log in and vote. 

http://petties.dogtime.com/login

Riverfront Cats--Finalists for the Petties--VOTING BEGINS

WOW!  We just received the news that Riverfront Cats is a finalist for not one but two Pettie awards!

Riverfront Cats thank all of you, our wonderful readers, followers, donors and supporters for nominating Riverfront Cats. We could not get this far without you!  Now the VOTING BEGINS DAILY starting July 5 until July 31.

What do we win? First a nice trophy for our founder who is also the main blogger behind Riverfront Cats. She deserves a shiny award on a shelf, free of cat hair just for her work. And if we win, we get to choose a nonprofit to receive $1,000. We choose our our big brother nonprofit Pawsitively Humane, Inc., (the umbrella of Riverfront Cats) so we can have more impact in educating the public and saving more stray, feral and black cats and kittens. 

Also, our dear friend Deb Barnes from the blog Zee & Zoey are also a finalist for Best Designed Blog. If she wins, Deb will also choose Pawsitively Humane to win $1,000.  So please vote for the three categories below.

•  Riverfront Cats for BEST BLOG POST 
•  Riverfront Cats for BEST CAUSE/RESCUE BLOG.  
•  Zee & Zoey  for BEST DESIGNED BLOG.  

So set those DAILY reminders on your iPhones, computers, futuristic gadgets. 

CLICK HERE to log in and begin voting. If you choose to use your email, remember your information is not shared and you can unsubscribe anytime.  Voting ends July 31. 

Thank you for taking a few seconds each day to vote.
Thank you for making a difference!!

Perro Callejero, a music video

[Para leer y escuchar en Espanol, haga  clic aqui. For posting in Spanish, click here.]

Riverfront Cats is proud to share our first music video (and in Spanish!) to create awareness about homeless pets. While the video is about dogs (perros), naturally the message is universal to all pets including cats. 

The brainchild behind the video is Silvia Rosales Del Monico who is also featured in the video. She is a singer and actress in the Spanish speaking media in the U.S.. Our founder Christine Michaels, received a call from Silvia who lives nearby.  Silvia and her husband Dan had found stray kittens in their neighborhood in Little Havana and asked for guidance on how to help the kittens. Together Christine, Dan and Silvia teamed up to ensure the kittens were captured, taken to the vet for checkup and vaccinations and placed in loving permanent homes.  Christine also taught Silvia and Dan how to use a cat trap to humanely trap other stray and feral cats in their neighborhood to get them spayed and neutered.  Silvia and Dan's genuine concern and love for animals lead to ongoing conversations on how to raise awareness and reach the masses to reverse the rate of homeless pets.  They are the proud owners of four rescue cats.

We thank Silvia for investing her time and talent in coordinating this video to reach the Hispanic audience and sharing the powerful message that adopting stray dogs bestows as much love and energy as any other pet and that pet ownership is a lifetime commitment.  Pets (dogs and cats) provide unconditional love and companionship and we must do the same.  Protect and love your pet as they would do the same for you.

Please enjoy the video. The lyrics are in Spanish with English subtitles.
Together, we can make a difference.

[Note: click on the arrow button to view video and then click lower right square to view it full screen; also toward the end of the video, the sign "Concurso de Baile" translates "Dance Contest". The group wins the Dance Contest in order to win back the dog]

Perro Callejero, un video musical

[Para version en ingles, haga clic aqui--For ENGLISH version, click here]
 
Los Gatos de Riverfront se enorgullece de compartir nuestro primer video de musica en español para crear conciencia acerca de las mascotas sin hogar. Mientras que el video es sobre perros, naturalmente, el mensaje es universal para todos los animales domésticos como los gatos.

La idea detrás del video es Silvia Rosales Del Monico quien también aparece en el video. Ella es una cantante y actriz en el medio artístico en español en E.E.U.U. Nuestra fundadora Christine Michaels, recibió una llamada de Silvia que vive cerca. Silvia y su esposo Dan habían encontrado gatitos callejeros en su barrio de la Pequeña Habana y pidió orientación sobre cómo ayudar a los gatitos. Juntos, Christine, Dan y Silvia se unieron para asegurar que los gatitos fueran capturados, llevados al veterinario para un chequeo y sus vacunas y  colocados en un hogar permanente. Christine también enseñó a Silvia y Dan cómo utilizar una trampa de gatos para atrapar humanamente otros gatos asilvestrados y callejeros de su barrio para esterilizarlos y castrarlos. La genuina preocupación de Silvia y Dan  y su amor por los animales condujeron a conversaciones continuas sobre la forma de crear conciencia y llegar a las masas para revertir la tasa de mascotas sin hogar. Ellos son los orgullosos propietarios de cuatro gatos rescatados.

Damos las gracias a Silvia para invertir su tiempo y talento en la coordinación de este video y compartir el poderoso mensaje de que la adopción de perros callejeros otorga tanto amor y energía como cualquier otro animal de compañía y que tener una mascota es un compromiso de por vida. Las mascotas (perros y gatos) ofrecen amor incondicional y compañerismo, y debemos hacer lo mismo por ellos. Protege y ama a tu mascota como ellos lo harían por usted.

Por favor, disfrute el video. La lírica es en español con subtítulos en inglés.
Juntos podemos hacer una diferencia.

BlogPaws 2013

Christine and Deb with Triscuit, the kitten

BlogPaws 2013 came and went like a passing summer shower in Miami--all the thunderous preparations and anticipation (except there are no dark clouds), a downpour of bloggers and "pawties" (aka networking events), and then we cleared the Sheraton hotel like rays of sunshine, and headed back home to improve upon our efforts and continue educating and/or entertaining readers about all things pets.

This was my second BlogPaws conference and I was even more excited to attend than the previous year for several reasons--Reuniting with friends, meeting other bloggers for the first time, making new connections with other bloggers and major pet vendors and organizations, and attending seminars eating meals with pets--dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets and baby chicks.

What started as a one-person effort to manage community cats and educate neighbors with a simple blog, Riverfront Cats has grown to a fully operational nonprofit with followers nationwide. While we are still relatively small (four volunteers), the progress of Riverfront Cats would not be possible without harnessing the technology of the internet and social media. BlogPaws 2013 brings it all together --people and technology.

Triscuit, a rescue kitten from Random Felines,
attended seminars all day with her foster mother Jeanne

In 2012, I had met other bloggers online and to meet them in person and have an actual conversation more than 100 characters long was sheer delight--squeals, big hugs and broken record refrains ad nauseam "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I finally get to meet you!!!" The blossoming of a new friendship is not only a benefit of the conference, it's a treasure.  Pictured below are Terry Frum (Brian's Home) and Caren Gittleman (of Cat Chat and Dakota's Den)  Terry and Caren are the two of the most genuine people, loyal blogging friends and passionate supporters of all cats, especially our Riverfront stray and feral Cats. I am over the moon to have finally met them. Check out their blogs!

Deb Barnes, Terry Frum, Caren Gittleman, and Christine Michaels (me)

Teamwork or the collaboration of residents, neighbors, organizations, schools, and corporations can make a difference in improving the welfare of pets.  We see it everyday as bloggers, small and large non-profit organizations and companies unite to educate the public about the benefits of adopting shelter pets, the latest science in pet health and nutrition, property training techniques...the list goes on. A personal highlight was meeting Olivia Melikhov, Social Media Manager from the ASPCA. One of their goals is to work with small local nonprofits like Pawsitively Humane/Riverfront Cats for reversing the rate of homeless pets in Miami. Super exciting!

Olivia Melikhov (ASPCA), Christine Michaels, Deb Barnes

Earlier last year, I developed new relationships online with famous cat bloggers thanks to a difficult situation (the Loews Hotel cat saga) that willingly came together for a common good. I met them at BlogPaws 2012 and throughout the year we have kept in contact via comments on blogs and Facebook. The mutual support is a blessing and I am most grateful.  Reuniting at BlogPaws 2013,  was a definite highlight. Our presence was visible and dog owners and hotel guests took notice. Note most cat bloggers were not wearing cat ears. Our bond of sisterhood, our creativity and our talent were evident, especially at the award ceremony.

Pictured below is Deb Barnes, she is the author of  The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey book and blog. Deb was nominated for a Nose-to-Nose award for best writer. She is a true professional, a talented writer with a genuine heart and I am honored that she has joined the board of directors of our nonprofit.

Deb Barnes and Christine Michaels

 Love these ladies--talented, down-to-earth and so much fun! Tamar's witty and fabulous blog I Have Cat and Angie's humorous blog CatLadyLand are wildly popular.  (Hey where's my tan? Yes we were under special lighting--I suppose so we glow).

Glam Cat Ladies: Tamar Arslanian, Christine Michaels, Angie Holland Bailey

Another highlight was the award ceremony. Many of my friends (cat bloggers) were nominated.  I was tickled to sit at their table and cheer them on like a borderline rock star groupie. The modern cat writer is here and we're making a difference!

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of the Nose-to-Nose awards!

Nominees of the Nose-to-Nose Blog Awards
[click on photo to view in actual larger size]

To view more photos, 
(and catch up on a little scandal at BlogPaws) 
visit our big brother site, Pawsitively Humane, Inc.

It's the camaraderie with pet owners, the sisterhood with cat bloggers, the inspiration from award-winning writers and social media mavens and the sight of so many cute pets that make BlogPaws paws and shoulders above any other conference. 

See you all at next year's conference in Vegas! 

Roxie and Sheena, an Unexpected and Joyful Adoption

Roxie and Sheena enjoying their favorite hobby, looking out the window

  By Carlina Colon

Until three months ago you could say I was the typical person who said “I’m not a cat person”. But that changed in the moment when my husband and I decided to foster Roxie and Sheena,  two year old beautiful black cats.  Their previous owner was an elderly man who died from natural causes. He had many cats and all of them were taken away after he died, except Roxie and Sheena. Nobody wanted them because they were black. "Really?" I thought.

A close neighbor of the former owner started to take care of them while they were moving all the belongings from the previous owner. She couldn’t adopt them because the landlord did not permit pets. Then the moment came when the apartment furniture and belongings were removed and these beauties were going to be dropped off at the county shelter.  That’s when Kerry (a friend of the neighbor who was taking care of them) contacted Christine (founder of Riverfront Cats) for help.

Christine asked me about the possibility of fostering Roxie and Sheena for three months.  I was doubtful at the beginning since I never had cats in my life, only dogs. However, after listening to their story and seeing pictures of the black beauties, I talked to my husband and we decided to take them in. We agreed only for three months.

When they were brought to our home, Roxie and Sheena were very afraid and nervous. There weren't the only ones. I always said I didn’t like cats because they don’t play with you like dogs and they are not as affectionate as dogs. OH I COULDN’T BE MORE WRONG. Roxie and Sheena were living proof of how sweet and affectionate a cat can be when you take the initiative to demonstrate affection, love. They were sad because their owner died, the melancholy was evident in their body language so my husband and I gave them their space for a couple a weeks to recover. After that, we started petting them little by little and then playing with them.

Roxie started to get very attached to my husband. She followed him around the apartment, rubbed against him all the time, more than me, and by now she sleeps on his side of the bed every night. On the other side, Sheena is attached to me, she wants me to pet her all the time, more than my husband, and sleeps on my side of the bed sometimes. We each have a personal fan.

My husband and Roxie

After seeing how their behavior changed and how much they love us, we decided we are not fostering anymore, we are adopting them; they are our little girls. There are no words to describe how happy we are to see them greet us at the door every day when we get home from work. My perception of cats has forever changed, especially black cats. They are particularly smart and beautiful.

Roxie on the chair while my husband is using his laptop

Also, I can say our relationship as a couple has improved since bringing home these would-be orphaned black cats.  Our bond is stronger.  My husband and I enjoy quality time with our furry children. This experience has enlightened, prepared and validated our parenting skills for when we have human children one day. They both require attention, affection, routine and discipline for healthy growth and development and a happy home. In my personal opinion, adopting any pet in need, is the most rewarding experience you could ever had.

Interested in adopting and providing a new home to a deserving pet? Maddie's^® Pet Adoption Days, is hosting a big free adoption event. This is the biggest free pet adoption event in the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals is leading the charge in New York City!. Mayor’s Alliance hopes to place hundreds of dogs and cats in qualified forever homes in the New York City Area on June 1 & 2. Free adoptions for qualified adopters will be offered throughout that weekend at participating shelters and other adoption locations, and at two large, outdoor adoption events in Manhattan. To see other cities participating in Maddie's^® Pet Adoption Days click here.