Sixteenth Post: 3 Activities

Activity #1: Cleaning up
Attained at home
Half an hour
Cleaning up is a vital key to working at the SPCA. If there is a mess, it needs to be cleaned up. Everybody grows up knowing how to clean up.

Activity #2: Using Purell
Attained at home
Half an hour
Using Purell may seem like an easy pointless task, but it is very important to use Purell before and after taking out any cat. Spreading germs from one cat to the next is easy to do and bad to the cats' health. Using Purell gets rid of these germs to put the cats less at risk.

Activity #3: Petting animals
Attained at home
20 Hours
Everybody knows how to pet animals. It is one of the easiest and most widely used things used at the SPCA with the cats. It is also used with dogs, to give praise or make them happy.

Fifteenth Post: 3 Skills

Skill #1: How to approch and treat cats
Attained at the SPCA
19 Hours 15 Minutes
I learned this skill last year when I worked at the SPCA. I took the class so I would be eligible to care for and socialize the cats. I continue to use this skill this year and anywhere else I may need it.

Skill #2: How to properly walk the dogs
Attained at the SPCA
2 Hours
I learned this skill at the dog walking class. I also got to use the skill on a dog during the class. However, because you have to visit the SPCA often to continue working with the dogs, I was unable to continue this skill.

Skill #3: Being familiar with the classification of cats and dogs.
Attained at SPCA
21 Hours 15 Minutes
I learned about the classification of cats last year when I worked at the SPCA. I learned about the classification of dogs this year. I continue to use the classification of cats when I work, but have had to stop with the classification of dogs.

Fourteenth Post: 3 Hours 30 Minutes, 21 Hours 15 Minutes Up-To-Date

I worked a total of 3 hours and 30 minutes on May 30th. I worked at the SPCA from 11:15 to 2:45.

Gazebo Tree 

This gazebo cat is actually a B cat, but I didn't realize it until after I finished in the gazebo.

Another Cat

11:15-11:30: I socialized the cats in the gazebos.

 Momma Momma Up On Glass

Momma Momma

11:30-11:45: I socialized Momma Momma. She is 1 1/2 years old. She is friendly and likes to have her head rubbed.

Cathleen

11:45-12:00: I socialized Cathleen. She is 2 years old. She is shy at first, but then warms up to you. She is gentle and sweet. Cathleen is classified as a P cat.

Black Jack

12:00-12:15: I socialized the 6 month old Black Jack. He is a playful cat and loves shoelaces and string. He needs a quiet home with an experienced cat owner. I also had a video of him playing with string, but I have trouble uploading it on Blogspot. Black Jack is classified as P/S.

Virginia

12:15-12:30: I socialized the 5 year old cat Virginia. She is friendly and curious. She is classified as a P cat.

12:30-12:40: I cleaned up a water spill in the hallway, then took a quick bathroom break.

Miracle

12:40-12:55: I socialized the 2 year old cat Miracle. She does not like other cats or dogs, but is great with people. She is a lap cat and is pretty playful, but does not like to be picked up. She is classified as a P cat.

Milkshake

12:55-1:10: I socialized the cat Milkshake. She is a 7 year old cat who is very friendly. She is classified as a G cat.

Jingles

1:10-1:25: I socialized the 6 year old Jingles. She is friendly and likes to be pet. She is classified as a P cat.

Sweet Maria

1:25-1:40: I socialized Sweet Maria. She is 5 1/2 years old. She is sweet and loves to be scratched. She also has a unique purr. She is classified as P/S/K.

This is a view of Serenity from over the scratching post.

Serenity On Scratching Post 

Serenity Looking Out Window

1:40-2:00: I socialized Serenity again. I also learned her back story. She was found with her face badly burned, and the owner gave her to the SPCA. Luckily, she healed really well, and you could never even tell she was in an accident that bad.

Rosebud

2:00-2:10: I socialized Rosebud. She is 7 years old and is FIV+. She is playful, but I put her back in her cubby early because she clawed my hand. She is classified as a P cat.

Stuart 

Stuart On Scratching Post

2:10-2:25: I socialized Stuart. He is playful, smart, and friendly. He also stole my seat when I got out of my chair to grab my camera!

Dupont

2:25-2:30: I socialized Dupont. He is 3 1/2 years old and is FIV+. He tried to bite me a few times, so I put him back early. He is classified as P/S.

Marilyn

2:30-2:45: I socialized Marilyn. She is FIV+ and at an unknown age. She likes to have her head scratched and has a nice purr. She is very nice and friendly. She is classified as a P cat.

So on May 30th I finished all of my hours!

Thirteenth Post: 3 Hours 15 Minutes, 17 Hours 45 Minutes Up-To-Date

I worked a total of 3 hours and 15 minutes on May 29th. I worked at the SPCA from 12:15 to 3:30.

 Fake Kitty Tree

 Cat on Bench

This is one of the really friendly cats in the gazebo.

12:15-12:30: I socialized the cats in one of the gazebos. One of the cats was really friendly and playful. It is the black and white cat pictured above.

Honeysuckle

12:30-12:45: I socialized Honeysuckle, a 2 year old female cat. She is very sweet and nice. She also likes to sit on your lap and explore. She is classified as a G cat.

 Daisy

I am brushing Sparky to get rid of loose fur and keep his coat clean.

Petting cats helps them get used to and eventually enjoy human contact.

12:45-1:00: I socialized the cats Daisy and Sparky. Daisy is the female black cat. She is 10 months old and pretty shy. Sparky is the male white and black tiger. He is friendly and likes to be brushed. They both have to go home together! <3 They are both classified as P cats. I also spent some time brushing Sparky.

It is important to brush cats because it gets rid of loose fur and cleans their coat. Some cats also like the way being brushed feels, such as Sparky.

 Zoom Close-Up

Zoom

1:00-1:15: I socialized Zoom. She is a sweet 1 year old cat who needs to be an only pet. She hissed a few times while she was out because she saw or smelt a cat. Other than that, she acted perfectly fine. She is classified as a P cat.

Marylin and Stanley

1:15-1:30: I socialized Marylin and Stanley. Marylin is the female calico cat. She is 1 year old, friendly, and likes to be pet. Stanley is the male black and white cat. He is very swatty and nippy. Both cats are classified as P cats.

1:30-1:45: I took a 15 minute break. I looked around at the dogs and washed up in the bathroom.

Morris

1:45-2:00: I socialized the 1 1/2 year old Morris. He is very sweet, friendly, and likes to play. He is classified as a G cat.

Cat Eating Food (Nom Nom Nom)

2:00-2:15: I visited the cats in one of the gazebos. There were only two cats in there, so it was fairly easy.

 I am holding Bentley to help her get used to being held.

When you hold cats for a long period of time, they eventually become used to it and become more familiar with the feeling.

2:15-2:45: I socialized the cat Bentley, along with my mom. Bentley is 1 1/2 years old. She loves to give "hugs" and be held, and is very adorable. My mom and I took her to the "Meet and Greet" room to see if she liked to play, but unfortunately she just kept meowing to go back into her cubby.

Many cats, like Snuggles, enjoy head scratches because they don't have to scratch it themselves.

2:45-3:00: I socialized the cat Snuggles! He is 1 year old, very sweet and LOVES to be petted! All I really did for 15 minutes was scratch his head, and he really enjoyed it. I guess thats where he gets his name!

Serenity <3

I am playing with Serenity to help her use up held-back energy and to give her an enjoyable time.

3:00-3:20: I socialized Serenity again! She is so playful and sweet, I want to bring her home so badly! First I have to ask my parents...

3:20-3:30: I signed out and got everything ready to leave the SPCA.

The best part about this trip to the SPCA is that I found out that one of the volunteers is adopting Shiloh!!!!! Yay!!!!!

Twelfth Post: 2 Hours, 14 Hours 30 Minutes Up-To-Date

I worked a total of 2 hours on May 22nd. I worked at the SPCA from 12:30 to 2:30.

12:30-12:45: I checked the card with my records, walked around a bit, and got ready to socialize kitties!!!

 Kitty Close-Up

Gazebo

12:45-1:00: I socialized cats in one of the gazebos.

Pumpkin

1:00-1:10: I tried to help my mom get one of the cats back in his cubby. She took him out and had trouble putting him back in. He is 4 1/2 years old and is classified as a P/T cat.

Here one of the cats is sleeping in the hallowed out trunk of the fake tree.

Shiloh is still here!

1:00-1:20: I socialized cats in another gazebo. It turns out Shiloh is in that gazebo! He has been here a long time. Unfortunately, I had to leave the gazebo early because the cats were being fed.

 Baby

Tanynn and Baby

1:20-1:30: I socialized Tanynn and Baby. Tanynn is the female tortoise shell cat. She is a little timid, but very friendly and playful. Baby is the male black and white cat. He does not get along well with dogs. He is also very overly friendly and hyper. Both cats are 1 year old and classified as G cats.

Stuart

1:30-1:45: I socialized the FIV+ cat Stuart. He is a friendly 2 1/2 year old cat. He is very playful and jumps around a lot in the video I took. Unfortunately, it is not working on Blogspot, so I cannot post it. Stuart is classified as a G cat.

P.S. Sorry if the video doesn't work, I don't really know how to make it work...

Sophie

1:45-2:00: I socialized a 4 year old cat named Sophie. She is very nice and VERY fluffy and soft! She was purring the whole time I was petting her! She is classified as a G cat.

Dallas and Massie

2:00-2:10: I socialized the cats Dallas and Massie. Dallas is the 2 year old black cat while Massie is the 1 1/2 year old torti colored cat. They are both females and both classified as G. However, I had to leave them early because of adopters that were coming into the room.

 Serenity

Serenity Playing With a Pen

2:10-2:25: I socialized the FIV+ cat Serenity. I socialized her back in my eigth post, but she was a lot shyer then. Now she is sweet, lovely, and VERY playful! She is 1 1/2 years old and has been in the SPCA since September. I really want to adopt her!!!! :D

2:25-2:30: I signed out on my card at the SPCA and got ready to leave.

Eleventh Post: Yahoo MCSPCA Sign-up

When I visited the MCSPCA on May 22nd, there was an important notice that all MCSPCA volunteers had to join a group on yahoo.

 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MCSPCAvolunteers/

To join this group, I had to type a brief bio about myself.

"My name is Shannon. I'm a 16 year old girl who has been volunteering at the MCSPCA for about a year."

The yahoo group is now pending approval.

Tenth Post: 2 Hours, 12 Hours 30 Minutes Up-To-Date

On February 12th, I took the dog walking class so i could socialize the dogs at the SPCA.

The dog walking class explained many things needed to show how to properly walk and care for the dogs. It explained how to bring the dogs outside without causing a huge commotion, how and where to walk the dogs, and how to bring the dogs back inside. It also explained where the water is kept for the dogs.

There are four classifications to dogs, slightly similar to the classification of cats. The categories are Green, Purple, Blue, and Orange. However, unlike the cats, the classification is not only based on how the animals act. For example, a Purple dog may be as friendly and playful as a Green dog, but have a few bad behaviors, such as pulling the harness to chase after animals or jumping on people.

Unfortunately, to be active with socializing the dogs, you need to go to the SPCA at least twice a month. It is difficult to do that when I get really busy, so I just went back to socializing cats.