Hi again everybody!! It's me . . . The RazMan!! Wow, is the weather great or what? I've been taking a break by sitting in a window and enjoying the smells of Spring. The sun is out and there's a nice breeze. It's just a purrrr-fect day, isn't it? I love sniffing fresh-cut grass and feeling the warm sun on my whiskers. Ahhhhh. But I can't take too much time out because we've got kittens! Lots and lots . . . and LOTS of kittens! More on them in a minute, but right now I want to tell you all about the Race for the Cure.

Despite the cold rain, our Cats Haven "Kitties for Ti**ies" team  participated in last Saturday's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure!! And we did great! We had over 25 team members who registered, and a few folks who couldn't walk but donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in our name. Vicki Colonna, David Molloy, and a couple of others got to the race site early enough to watch the Survivor's Parade, and the rest of the walkers joined up later. Just as we left the start line, the cold rain started to pour down. But that didn't keep us from walking the whole 5K! And after we crossed the finish line, Barb and a wonderful group of volunteers had a huge brunch spread for us! Jane Heine, Teresa Eversole, my good friend Elizabeth, Sue Hildebrandt, my best buddy Dzana, Sandy Haney, and a few others set out a brunch table like I've never seen before. And then Vicki and David stopped at Church's Chicken and brought even MORE food. It was great. We all had a wonderful day and got to help raise funds for the Komen Foundation. We're already planning for next year, so mark your calendars and get ready to walk!

Now, I need to tell you all about my kittens. I've got a ton of kittens!! And I couldn't be happier! I love kittens, as you all know, and I've got big kittens, medium-sized kittens, and little teeny tiny kittens . . . in all different colors, too! Some have moms with them, but some don't. Some are close to being ready for adoption, and some need to hang out a while to get a little bit bigger. But all of them will complete the Raspberry Kitten Classes before I let them go to their new homes. In my classes, they learn how to be good kitten citizens, and so far everyone is doing great. This is truly a special crop of kittens. Some of these guys have come from Indianapolis Animal Care and Control. We took them so they'd have the chance to grow up and find homes. Others have come from IndyFeral (I love those guys . . . Lisa, you're such a babe . . . we should have lunch soon). No matter where they came from, they're safe with us.  But we need your help. We need litter, human baby food, kitten food, cleaning supplies like paper towels and bleach, and donations so that we can get these guys spayed and neutered as well as tested and vaccinated. If you can help out, just call the shelter and either Barb or I will tell you how to get stuff to us. I'll get some pictures of my kittens on the website soon . . . they're all so cute with their little kitten faces and little whiskers. I love kittens!

Oh, I almost forgot! Our good friend Sandy Haney had a flat tire while going home last Friday. Some really nice people stopped and helped her out, and I want to personally thank the Jones family for making sure my friend Sandy got the spare tire on her car. You guys rock! Really! I had just gotten  into the van and was trying to adjust the seat when she called back and said that you guys had changed her tire.  So please accept a big heartfelt THANK YOU from me.

Miranda is telling me that the kittens are waking up from their naps and we're ready for our afternoon classes, so I better go. The older kittens are learning Zoom Around the Room techniques today, and the younger kittens are making log cabins out of popsicle sticks. So have a good day, everyone. I'll blog again next week to let you know more about the kittens *AND* tell you more about our upcoming Spring Fling! It's gonna be soooooo cool!! Bye, friends! - Raspberry

Hi, everyone!! I sure hope you're all having a grrrrr-eat Monday afternoon. I know I am! I just got BIG NEWS!!!! I just heard from the Cat Doctor that we raised just a little over $2500 at our Silent Auction fund raiser at Arni's last week!! Wow-wee!!! That's, like, close to a gazillion bucks!!! A HUGE thank you goes out to the Cat Doctor for once again planning this wonderful evening for us. And thank you all so very much for coming out to eat dinner and bid on our really cool silent auction items. You guys never ever let us down. You are all absolutely the very best, and everyone here at the shelter really appreciates your support. We'll do it again next year . . . Arni's has already said they'd like to have us back! And to Barb Dunn and husband and Tim and Teresa Eversole, a special thanks goes out to you guys. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to see everyone at the fund raiser, but Smiley and I were pretty busy behind the bar mixing up drinks. Hey, Smiley . . . let's get together again soon and have a Guy's Night Out! You know . . . drink a couple of beers, chat up some babes. Guy stuff. Call me.

Not only has the fund raiser put me in a good mood, I'm really happy because we already have kittens in the house again. Yup, we've got regular-sized kittens, medium-sized kittens, and itty-bitty baby kittens. They are all so cute. I just love to pinch their little cheeks. But this is a good time to remind everyone that Kitten Season is already underway. If you know of a female kitty who has not been spayed, or a male who has not been neutered, there are all kinds of places where you can get low-cost or free neutering. Call or email the shelter, and we can tell you where you can get your pets fixed. This is really important, guys. There are so many cats out there, but there just aren't enough homes. So if you've got house cats or even feral cats, let's get 'em fixed! We can help . . . just contact us.

Hey, did you know that we're having a really cool event on May 10th? Well, we are. We're having a Spring Fling . . . a Spring Bazaar . . . a Spring something or another . . . and it's gonna be just super. We're gonna have all kinds of booths set up, from free food samples to even a fortune teller. Lots of us will be packed and ready to go when you adopt us, too!! And we'll have human food for sale . . . and a bake sale . . . and an ice cream sundae tent . . . this is gonna be BIG! Keep an eye on the website for more information, but mark your calendars for Saturday, May 10th. We're working on the latest edition of the Mewsletter, and all the details will be in there. I hope we can get the Mewsletter out in the next week or so!
 
I hear Miranda wrapping up the kitten yoga class, so I better go now. We've got the "Curl Up and Be Cute" class next, and then it'll be dinner time again. I think Barb is leading the Curl Up class today, but I better supervise because she has a habit of curling up, being cute, and falling asleep. More news later, friends! - Raspberry