Can you believe that in just 14 days, Santa Claws will be coming down our chimney? Where has this month gone!? 'Seems like just last week, I was welcoming the first crop of Spring kittens to the shelter, and now here it is, just two weeks away from Christmas. Everyone here at the shelter is getting so excited; today in penmanship class, I had everyone write down what they want Santa Claws to bring them this year. Merlin wants a new bed for the bay window; Lady Gwen wants a new cookbook; Mickey wants a Lady Gaga CD; and I want a box of mouse traps. Yes, we still have a mouse in the office, which is why I'm blogging tonight in the downstairs bathroom. It wasn't easy, getting the computer in here and all set up. I don't have thumbs, you know, so plugging everything in took a while. If Barb comes down and sees that I've moved the computer, she's really gonna have a cow. So I better be quick . . .

My main reason for blogging tonight is to invite everyone to the annual Cats Haven Open House this Sunday from noon til 4!!! It's gonna be a PAR-TAY with all kinds of food and hot chocolate and music and friends coming by to see us. We'll have the tree set up and the house all decorated, and y'wanna know the coolest thing of all? You don't have to do anything except come over, eat, and visit with us for a while! Our very special guest this year is gonna be our new friend named Snowball. He's the kitty I mentioned that last time I blogged . . . the one who was hurt by the dog. After almost two weeks in the hospital, Snowball is coming to the shelter today to spend time recovering. He loves people, and when I talked to him this afternoon, he said he'd like to meet as many new friends as possible. So does Dewey, the kitty who had the broken leg a couple of months ago. Everyone here is hoping to meet the humans who helped provide the vet care we've needed, the food to keep our tummies full, and the love and support that's kept us safe and warm. Without all of you guys, I don't even want to think of where most of us would be right now. Barb, Lady Gwen, and I might run the shelter every day, but it's because of kind and caring folks like you that we're able to help so many. So stop by the shelter on Sunday (that's 2603 N. College Avenue, by the way) any time between noon and 4, have some deeee-lish food, and meet all of us! I'm hoping that the Cats Haven Kitty Choir will sing a few traditional holiday songs for everyone, too, like "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Catnip," "Feline Navidad," and my favorite, "Deck the Halls with Balls of Tuna!"

Okay, I gotta get this computer outta the bathroom and back into the office or else Barb is really gonna be cheesed off. I hope that scary rodent has gone to mouse bed so I can get in and out of the office without running into it. Maybe I can get Lady Gwen to help me. Hope to see you all on Sunday . . . if the mouse doesn't eat me first! - Bandit the puddytat 

Okay, so I'm looking around the office, and I don't see any mice. Barb and Lady Gwen (my administrative assistant, in case you're wondering) told me that they've "taken care of" the mice in the office, and I think I believe them. I hope they're not kidding me . . . so far, I don't see any of these furry, bewhiskered, scary creatures. I bet they're gone. Barb wouldn't lie to me. Would she? No, of course not. So I'm going to take a big deep breath and blog like the mice have left the building. WHOA!!! WHAT WAS THAT NOISE!??!?! Oh, wait. Hehehe. It was my tail swishing on the chair. Hehehe. The mice are gone . . . nothing to be afraid of. Barb said so.

So hello everybody! I'm Bandit, the shelter manager at Cats Haven. In case you're new to my blog, I try to write every couple of weeks or so to let everyone know what's going on here at the shelter. And tonight I've got lots and lots of news. Oh gosh, where to start. I've got my list, so I guess we'll just start at the top! Catnip. Light bulbs. A rake. Whoops. Wrong list. That's what I need from Walmart. Wait a minute . . . . okay here it is!  Over the past couple of weeks, we did some really fun events. First was the Christmas Gift and Hobby Show at the Fairgrounds. We saw a lot of people, handed out a ton of flyers, and raised some money. And that same weekend, we also were part of the Great Indy Pet Expo where we matched up a family with a Cats Haven kitten named Trinity! Way to go, Trin! See, I told you those "Cute Kitty" classes would pay off! A big Thank You goes out to Barb, Lela, Becky, Leah, Elizabeth, Sandy, the original Sue, the Other Sue, Barb Dunn, Vicky, and everyone else who pitched in and helped at those two events or at the shelter. And then this past weekend, we were at StarBase Indy! Now, how cool is this event?! It's a Star Trek/sci-fi/fantasy convention where a lot of Klingons hang out. No kidding! There were real Klingons there and I have the pictures to prove it! So it's been a busy few weeks for us. We also did gift wrapping at Borders downtown over the Thanksgiving weekend . . . more about that in a minute, but I want to thank Becky, Rebecca, Barb, and . . . and . . . oh, there was one other person who did the gift wrapping and I can't remember their name. Uh, er, we'll call them Steve. I like that name, so thank you to Becky, Rebecca, Barb, and Steve for doing the Borders gift wrapping so far!! You guys are great!

If all of that wasn't enough, we've got more events coming up! Get out your calendars because I want to see everybody at least once this Holiday season! This Saturday, December 5th, Barb will be at the Eiteljorg Museum for their Winter Market. This is a really cool day when the parking and museum admission are totally free, and there will be over 50 artists selling all kinds of things! Barb is going to put on her Gypsy Cat hat and be one of the artists! Is that too cool or what!? From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can come by and take a look at all the wonderful new beaded creations she's got for sale. There will be music and food, too! Very festive!

And then on Sunday, December 13, from noon til 4, stop by the shelter for our annual Holiday Open House! The kitties and I will all be here to welcome everyone, and we'll have snacks and hot cider and the house will be decorated for the Holidays (including stocking hung by the chimney with care so Santa Claws will have somewhere to put our catnip cookies and tuna bars) . . . I always look forward to this little gathering, so mark your calendar and come by for some Kitty Christmas cheer! It's a great way to relax and just enjoy the season for a bit. 

A couple of other things I want to mention before I sign off for the night. I need to let everyone know that in the past couple of weeks, we've lost Poptart (the little kitten who never grew), Mr. Arness (the kitty who was injured by the dog), and Scoots (my good friend who was born with no back feet). These three were such special friends, and they are very missed. On a happier note, however, Dewey, the little guy who was tossed off of an apartment balcony and had to have major leg and hip surgery, is doing great!! He's out and about in the shelter house, playing and having a wonderful time with all of his new friends. Montana and Smokie, the two Persians who came from Indianapolis Animal Care and Control, are also doing wonderful. And thanks to everyone's generosity recently, we are able to help a white with tabby guy named Snowball who was badly injured by a dog this past weekend. Snowball is part of a police investigation of animal cruelty, and we are so pleased that we can help.

One last thing . . .  currently, the Humane Society of Indianapolis is in the news because of a tragic outbreak of a feline calicivirus. I want everyone to know that the staff at HSI is doing everything in their power to stop this virus in its tracks, and to save the remaining kitties at the shelter. This is an unbelieveable strain of this virus and yes, many kitties have not survived it. For the next several weeks, HSI will not be able to take cats and kittens, and most of the cats currently in their shelter will not be available for adoption. This situation has taken its toll on the staff at the Humane Society, so if you know someone who works there, don't forget to ask how they're doing. And if you want to show your support and help, right now they need bleach, rags, paper towels, plastic gloves, and other items. Go to www.indyhumane.org to see a complete list of what they need. 

I need to get to cat bed, I suppose. My first kitten class starts at 9, and Lady Gwen and I need to have the kittens up with their teeth brushed, faces washed, and breakfast eaten by 8:45. Lady Gwen is making a moth and cream breakfast bake, too. I don't want to be late for that!! It's my favorite! Okay, so I guess Barb wasn't kidding. The mice are out of the office and gone. I can finally relax and blog in my own chair in my own office without having a mouse looking over  my . . . what's that . . . moving . ..  on  . . . the . . . desk . . . SPIDER!!!!!!!!! I AM SO OUTTA HERE!!!!! BARB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!