Animal Aid, Inc. (Portland, Oregon)

Meet Prince
Prince invites you to help! Adoption Application Adoption Counselor Print this page Previous	Home at last!	Click an image to enlarge it







Happy Ending! Hi everyone – Prince here. Just thought I’d drop a quick line to let you know how I’m doing in my new home after one week– GREAT! My mom and dad thought after never having a home and family of my own before I might take quite a while to get used to the idea – wrong!! I went under the people bed for about 45 minutes after I got here, then I was ready to meet my new life head on and make the most of it. I’ve investigated the whole house – there are so many rooms!! And stairs too. Both mom and dad work from home, so there are home offices with warm computers; bedrooms with those people beds I really love; lots and lots of windows; several cat trees; and even a second story sunroom that’s mostly glass! There are lots of trees and birds and squirrels outside, so window gazing is a favorite activity. I’m also looking to lose just a couple of my 16 pounds, so I’m playing laser like a kitten to get in shape. I have three cat siblings and three dog siblings. My three-legged cat brother, Ziggy, is a totally cool guy, as is Grommet, who is probably the nicest cat on the planet. My cat sister Claire is 19 years old, so she doesn’t do too much with the rest of us, but I’m such a veteran of meeting cats that I just take that in stride. Mom and dad were going to take their time letting me meet the dogs, as I hadn’t met any before, but I had different plans. Even though they were all lined up in the hallway outside of my door, I pushed my way out, and just walked right on by them with my tail held high. I can’t say I really understand dogs, but they don’t bother me much. They always seem to have smiles on their faces, and as far as I can tell, they are a small but effective division of the Department of Homeland Security – you should see the UPS man leave his gifts for us at the door and run back to the truck after the dogs bark at him from the windows! It’s fairly impressive, and I’m glad to know we have the security in place, even if I haven’t discerned a need for it just yet. Mostly I spend my days hanging out with my cat brothers, sharing the cat tree and the cat beds, investigating the house, taking naps, playing laser, eating awesome food, and getting lots and lots of pets from my parents. If my mom sits on the bed, I jump up there too and throw myself down next to her so she can rub my belly and tell me how perfect I am. I've sent some pictures of me and Ziggy, and me just kneading my fuzzy cushion and bird watching out my favorite window. I do want to thank everyone for all of the support and good thoughts sent my way over the years. I would consider it an honor if you’d keep sending those good feelings and support to my friends Baby and Grayson at the rescue who both really deserve a great home. My mom met them, and says she highly recommends them both to any loving family. Mom also wants me to tell you that adopting an older or special needs animal is something not to be missed. We are perfect in every way! So give yourself a gift today, and bring one of my friends home! As for me, I will likely send you another update sometime soon, but for now, I thought you’d like to know that I am very happy, very wanted, and very loved. And I’m home forever. With much love, Prince From Prince 5/2/10: Hi everyone! Since it's been a little over a month now that I've been in my forever home, I thought I'd send along another update. Things are fantastic! First I have to say that my new exercise routine of laser chasing, ball rolling, and house prowling is really paying off – I've already lost a pound! Just one more pound and I'm to my goal weight. Ok, so my parents measuring out my food, and there being little chance to steal any other food has also helped, but I still love to be active around the house, and enjoy keeping up with the other cats and dogs. After 10 years in the shelter, I'm also really enjoying being part of a family. Animal Aid was great to me, and they made sure I was always well taken care of, but there's nothing quite like your own family. In a family, you get to know each other really well, and it's nice to have parents and siblings that are really interested in me, and who I really am, without any expectations of who I should be. Shouldn't everyone be so lucky? Anyway, I thought I'd try out some personalities now that I have the freedom to do so – Mom says they aren't all keepers, so she's helping me pick the best ones. Here are a few I've tried: Dad's office mate during the work day (keeper!); TV viewing couch companion (keeper!); Mr. Swatty (not such a keeper); Mom's love bug (keeper!); kitchen helper (mostly a keeper, except when I want to taste the recipe without asking); kitchen cabinet opener (not such a keeper); lap cat (keeper!)(yeah, that's right, you heard me – lap cat. I may be big, mature, and like things on my own terms, but Dad makes a good lap and I get lots of pets); purr machine (keeper!); food monger (not a keeper – I swatted the dog on the head while she was eating to try and steal her food. It didn't happen – she's a Lab, and they love food more than I do!); life coach (keeper). That last one is really my essence – I never gave up, I kept a positive attitude, and I was able to touch the lives of a lot of people and cats over the years; and now I'm starting a new journey as a loved family member, and everything that entails, just like I always wanted. My parents never expected me to be any particular kind of cat – they knew the best relationships are those that are based on accepting each other for who you are, and the experiences of living together change our lives and make us grow closer. Even when I'm Mr. Swatty, Mom just laughs and says it keeps her reflexes sharp, and she knows it's just cat communication for things I'm concerned about, and it helps her know what's important or scary to me. So, I hope my story will inspire shelter dogs and cats to hang in there, and inspire people to step up, adopt a homeless animal, and let the life coaching begin! There are lots of animals standing by to help! I read that Baby recently got adopted – way to go, Baby!! And Mitzi also has an application on her as well! What great adopters these people are to know how fabulous the journey of a relationship will be with these deserving cats. Now how about someone for my old protege, Grayson? I taught him everything I know, plus he's young, sweet, and ready to make a difference in someone's life. I think it was Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer on TV who I heard say “you don't get the dog you want, you get the dog you need”. Well, that goes for cats too – bring one of us home, open your heart to the experience, and you won't be disappointed. My parents sure weren't – I make them laugh, they make me feel loved, and we're all a big, goofy, loving family just enjoying the ride together. I wish the same for you! I’ve been through a lot of changes, especially in the last year. Let me tell you my story. When I arrived at the shelter over 7 years ago, I was shy and scared. I’d never been indoors much and there were cats everywhere. Even though I’m a big guy and could have intimidated the other cats, I’m really a gentle guy and didn’t want to fight. I figured the best way to survive was to act aloof. Unfortunately, that is probably why I’ve been waiting so long for a home. Some of the cats saw my softer side. When one shy kitten came in, she snuggled right into me her first day, seeing past all my bravado and knowing that I would protect her. About a year ago, I started having ear problems, and they had to give me ear drops. Instead of chasing me around the shelter twice a day, they put me in a cage. It wasn’t much fun, being the proud guy that I am, but they were starting to see another side of me. When the medication was done, they moved me to a smaller room than I had been living in and I turned into, well, I hate to say it, but I turned into a lovebug. Yes, the strong, silent, intelligent cat that they knew, turned into a cuddly guy who couldn’t get enough petting. They also got to see how playful I was, even chasing a laser light up the wall. A follow up trip to the vet revealed that I needed to have an operation to remove some benign masses from behind my ears and they had to go in through my ear canals. The operation would leave me deaf. When I came back from surgery, I didn’t look very good. Both ears had flopped over and were bandaged, and I wore an Elizabethan collar. But now, everything has healed. One ear is straight up like it should be. The other ear is working on it! Sometimes I can move it all the way up, sometimes it’s at half mast. The vet thinks it will eventually look like it did before the operation. It’s amazing but I haven’t lost my sense of balance and sometimes I think I can hear a little too. BTW, I don’t have to take any medication. Some other things you might be interested to know about me. I’ve got green eyes and my fur is grey with a blue luster and is very soft and silky. You will be surprised by my tiny meow coming out of such a big body. I had been through some hard times before I arrived at the shelter and my teeth were so bad that I needed to have them all pulled. But I don’t have any problem eating wet food, dry food, or your food! I was born in 2000. Since this is my year for change, how about a home -- a normal home with a real family that I can be a part of. A place where I can walk from room to room and there aren’t 20 other cats around. Isn’t there anyone out there who will take a chance on me? Do you want to read my blog? Then click here. Prince is a large-size male whose estimated birth year is 2000. He is adopted, and is currently living with the adoptive family. Like all of our pets, Prince is current on all vaccinations, has been treated for parasites, and will be microchipped and neutered before going home with the adoptive family.

Meet Prince