January 7, 2026

𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 - 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟕 𝐨𝐟 𝟑𝟔𝟓

𝐁𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 (for the week):

Intakes: 5 
Adoptions: 15
Current census: 348

𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲: 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐮'𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

For those who know Palau, you know his journey has been a struggle. This FIV+ former Phoenix street cat has been through everything - a traumatic neuter, full mouth extraction for stomatitis, chronic ringworm that kept landing him back in isolation where he'd fail because he craves human contact. He has a bit history from his early days, ongoing oral pain despite maximum medication, and he hates being medicated which means we've had to get creative just to maintain his quality of life.

Today, I pulled the trigger on something I'd been considering for a while. I moved him into the admin office where he could get all the people love he wants with only one other cat to contend with. For the first time in a long time, I could see some of the light come back in his beautiful eyes. He walked around rubbing himself on the furniture, settled into his new bed making biscuits, and just existed without stress.

To say my heart soared would be an understatement. He deserves to have the best life possible, and sometimes that means thinking outside the box about what "best" actually means for each individual cat.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲:

We retrieved our last adult from the cat cafe - she'd gone up in the rafters yesterday, but today we were victorious. All the cats are back at the shelter now. The originals returned to their spots; the new ones from the cafe takeover have to find their way. They'll need prayers and a lot of work, but we'll get them there.

Our big guy who was on a feeding tube is showing more personality every day. Ricki Lake, our clinic cat who prefers treats, cheese, and paper to actual cat food, was caught eating kibble on multiple occasions - and we all quietly gathered to witness it without letting her see us looking. One of the seniors from the big group is backed up and on IV fluids, but I got to teach an upcoming vet tech how to do enemas, so now there are multiple staff who can handle it.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲:

As I close out my work week, I'm leaving cases in my staff's hands. Most of those seniors are having a difficult time adjusting - they lost their mom a few years ago and now their dad can't care for them. We're working so hard to help them find their way in a world that keeps changing on them.

𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐧:

Watching so many cats blossom this week - seeing them finally open up for attention, find their confidence, respond to our adjustments. There are so many things to consider when managing this many cats. We treat them all as individuals, and when things aren't working, we find a way to change it and give them what they need. It's been 4½ years and I am still just as excited (probably even more now) to get up and go to work every day.