Marco is having a hard time in the shelter and really needs to find a home soon. He came to us from another animal shelter who was running out of room and were on the brink of euthanizing multiple cats. Luckily, Marco Polo and five other felines came to AniMeals where they could have a second chance of finding a forever home.

Marco was doing well with the other cats but decided that he was going to be the boss of every kennel in the shelter. After bopping another cat on the head and getting in trouble, Marco Polo will look up at you with those big, round, green eyes and act like he did nothing wrong!

Now he’s in a big kennel all by himself and thinks he’s in prison. He’s not happy being confined and will reach his little paw out of the fence and try to touch you when you walk by. We’re worried about this little guy and would like to adopt him out into a home of his own where he won’t have to worry about other cats and dogs. If you’re currently living in an animal-free home, stop by the AniMeals office to see if Marco would be a good match for you!

Sometimes we let cats roam our warehouse for a little while to stretch their legs. Some cats are let out because they have a weight problem and need the exercise (Neval, Beverly), others are free because they’re our favorites (Maximus, Vincent, Kalee), a few are older and we like to make them as comfortable as possible (Boots, Madonna). Regardless, each cat has it’s own preferred resting spot or job to do. Here’s a collection of the warehouse regulars who keep the AniMeals’ employees company. Don’t forget — they’re all still up for adoption!

And check out this video of sweet Maximus getting his face scratched. He loves it and even uses his hind leg like a dog!

Theanimalrescuesite.com is helping homeless and hungry animals everywhere. By visiting their site, you can help feed pets by simply clicking on an icon. Don’t forget to vote for AniMeals in the The Animal Rescue Site $100,000 Shelter Challenge! Here’s how to do it: Click the purple box that says “Click Here to Give — It’s Free!”. On the next page scroll down to “The Animal Rescue Site $100,000 Shelter Challenge”. Search for us and vote!

AniMeals took in three huskies puppies from an Evergreen animal cruelty case last week and we still have one beautiful female left! You can read the story about the puppies here.

Akara is a 5 month old Husky/Bear Dog cross who needs to find a loving home. She is a gorgeous dog who is very intelligent. She’s working hard on her manners but needs someone to help her learn more things. She is energetic and loves to be outside. She loves other dogs and is very friendly towards them.  She has all her shots and has been spayed.

Akara is currently in foster, so please call AniMeals @ 721-4710 to set up an appointment to meet her!

Pepper is STILL up for adoption!

Pepper is a very adorable 5 month old Lab/Hound cross who is looking for both a temporary and permanent home. His current foster family loves him to death but unfortunately all Pepper wants to do is chase their kitty! Pepper is looking for a foster family without cats who will look after him until he is adopted. He has great manners, is fully potty trained, and is incredibly sweet! If you know of anyone who is looking to adopt a great Lab cross (everyone in Missoula needs a Lab!), have them check out Pepper!

Social Media Club Missoula is sponsoring Fidos and Felines, a fundraiser to help Animeals during this holiday season. Fidos and Felines will take place November 6 at 7:00 p.m. at The Broadway Sports Bar & Grill.

There are several ways to donate at the event:

• Check out the Animeals Web site, and bring one of the items on their Wishlist.
• Bring pet food.
• Shake out your couch cushions and check under your car seat. Bring in any spare change you can find!
• Any aluminum cans that you normally recycle at home can be brought to the event and donated for the Animeals recycling program.

Fidos and Felines is a TweetUp, so Social Media Club Missoula will be posting messages of the event on Twitter. Pictures of the event will be uploaded to Twitpic during the event and will be made available on Facebook afterward. The tallest DJ in America , Aaron Traylor from 107.5 ZooFM, will DJ. We encourage everyone to come join us and learn more about Social Media Club and Animeals and how you can get involved with both groups!

Emma has been here for 10 months. Can you believe that? 10 months!! She is, by far, the longest resident of our shelter. Emma desperately needs to find a home. She is a lovely girl who just wants a warm place to sleep and fresh food and water. She likes her space, but is more than happy to sit next to you and keep you company. She enjoys being on a warm lap where she can just purr until her heart’s content. We don’t know how old she is exactly, but we know she’s a young adult with excellent manners. She enjoys chasing balls every once in a while and really likes her cat tree!

Emma came to us after being found in a woodpile on the Northside of Missoula. She had a litter of kittens there and was trying to take care of them and herself while on the streets. After being brought to AniMeals, Emma fostered three other litters of kittens that weren’t even hers! She was a great mother.  Please open your heart to Emma and give her a forever home. She desperately needs one and has been looking for one for her entire life!

Our beloved Persian, Camille, is still making us laugh. She enjoys being brushed so much she’ll let you comb her hair however you want. Check out the video below and then stop in to tell Camille how beautiful she is — no matter how bad of a hair day she’s having.

(Note the constantly protruding tongue)

In honor of football season, we would like you to meet three of our shelter cats who would surely be large enough to play in the NFL if they had fingers to catch the ball with and were of the human variety. Meet Timber, Maximus, and Vincent.

October 16th was Feral Cat Day and the AniMeals warehouse temporarily turned into a recovery clinic for feral cats who were being spayed or neutered at Animal Control. Feeding and watering the cats as they came out anesthesia was our job. We noticed a few were extremely affectionate and were definitely not feral! Maximus immediately caught the eye of our employees as one of the most unique looking cats we’ve seen in a while. The definition of a “Tom Cat”, Maximus looks like he’s been through a cat fight or six. A crumpled ear and squinty eyes make this big boy quite the looker. He’s incredibly sweet, very affectionate, and was rubbing on the cage and talking to us while in recovery. Needless to say, we kept this big man in hopes that we could find him a loving home where he wouldn’t have to fight for his food anymore. You’ve GOT to stop by and say hello to our new shelter favorite and the coolest Tom you’ll ever meet: our big Max.

Vincent’s story isn’t unlike Maximus’. Also deemed “feral”, Vincent was on his way home back to the wild outside world where he was clearly dumped. The only thing left to do was transfer him from his recovery kennel to a carrier kennel. As with all feral cats, this can be a hairy ordeal! We wear big gloves to prevent bite and scratch marks and try to make the process as least stressful to the animals as we can. To our surprise, once we pulled Vincent out of his carrier, he was bound and determined to curl himself in our lap. Vincent is a very good looking cat with a great personality. Shy at first, he is extremely quick to warm up to humans. He’s looking for a comfortable home with nice people who want a cat with some size! (The photos don’t do him justice — he decided the flash was too bright and didn’t want to have his picture taken anymore!)

Although Timber wasn’t part of the feral cat clinic, it’s obvious this boy has spent some time on the streets. When you visit the AniMeals shelter, Timber is the first one to welcome you from his favorite spot: the big black chair. He’ll talk to you, tell you it’s okay to come inside his kennel and that he’d really like a big squeeze and a pat on the head. The shoulders on this cat are amazing — he’s totally strong and completely solid. He would love to be an indoor/outdoor cat and promises to catch all the mice he can. All he wants in life is to not be thrown out anymore. He’d be a great gaurd-cat, clearly intimidating most intruders with his big paws and strong features. Little to they know, he’s a gentle giant who only wants to be your friend.

Today I received a cute email from Mills, a WorkForce/AniMeals employee, who adopted Hope last week. Mills agreed to foster Hope until she was old enough to be spayed but after Hope’s surgery, we never saw her again! Hope, now named Baby, couldn’t be happier with her new home. Congrats Baby!