Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Kitty Please

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Today we have some bonus Wreckage and a quick update from my favorite animal shelter, Puffy Paws Kitty Haven.

Hit it, kitties!

You said it, Slimer.
(Note: if I had a green cat/shag carpet blob, I would totally name him Slimer.)

Now, in English: Puffy Paws, the no-kill, no cage shelter we featured last year during our Charity Countdown, has too many cats. As in, they have FOUR HUNDRED CATS. And, since Rick & Chrissy (the couple who owns and operates the shelter) specialize in taking in special-needs kitties...

"Hi."

...they need to adopt out all the NON-special-needs cats (about 160 of the 400) to make room for the rest. That's where (hopefully) you guys come in.

Exactly. (Um. Where does that string go?)

So, if you know anyone in the South Florida area, would you ask them to spread the word? The county is threatening to put these cats down if homes are not found soon, and they're loving, healthy animals that would make a lot of folks very, very happy. Kind of like cake. Except (hopefully) you wouldn't want to eat them.

Actually, I guess they *do* have that in common with these cakes. [head tilt] Huh.

Well, they're also much cuter than these. Promise.

Plus they won't stain your teeth green.

The real cats, I mean. (Just go with it, Ok?)


For those of you who want to help but who can't adopt, Puffy Paws is also seeking donations to go towards renting a larger facility - not to mention to help with general upkeep and medicines and food and such for all the cats. It's super easy to give: just look for the Paypal "donate" button on their site.

Well, thanks for listening to this special Wrecks PSA, Wreckies. I'll close now with a special word from the Cat in the Hat:

"Help."


You heard the kitty.


Shauna M., Jade B., Patricia W., Tiffany N., Jonathan W., & Emily V., thanks for the cat-astrophic cakes. They were simply purr-fect.

Kate Rowan said...

I wish I could help, but I have 2 of my own special needs kitties!
Kate
www.idreamloudly.com

Ashley said...

Now THAT is spooky!

And Jen, TWO posts in one day? You're positively spoiling us!! You continue to rock my world. Mwah!

Nikolle said...

OMG, I can't believe Puffy Paws has a real website! And a cat named Slimer. Poor kitty, he must have had a terrible run-in with one of those Halloween creatures earlier today...

Nerwen Aldarion said...

Those cats scared the crap out of me! Wish I could adopt one but alas I'm allergic, great cause to support though!

Trevor said...

Oh dear. I literally did a LOL when I saw the last cake and your comment on it. Awesomeness!

I feel so bad. I have thought about adopting a cat, but have not done so. If I lived in Florida, I'd probably finally do it to help them out.

Miri said...

I like how they have to add the words "meow" or "kitty cat" in order to make their point. hahaha

Elizabeth C. said...

I wish I could adopt all of them! But my allergies limit me to the 3 very neurotic kitties I have. (1 is special needs!)

SuBee said...

Our beloved kitty, Phoebe, looks very much like the first picture. Of course, she passed away in
2007...

The cat in the hat made me snort!
Very unattractive

Anonymous said...

I think that first MIGHT be a skein of yarn, with a couple knitting needles just visible at the near end...

(maybe....?)

Lauren Towers said...

Wrong side of the world, my little girl is a rescue and I would happily take another

Dani said...

I'll let my friends and family in FL know.

Also that second cake looks like a furby

Anonymous said...

Sorry I'm a dog lover and terribly allergic (probably why I'm a dog lover) Spuc

Heather - Fifty-Two Cakes said...

Please, please adopt these little guys! Cats get put down more than any other animal at kill shelters because there are just SO many, and there needs to be available room for more incoming animals. I have the most wonderful feline friend, Captain Ahab, and he is the sweetest baby to wake up next to. Adopt away, please!

Anonymous said...

I live quite opposite of South Florida, Northern Michigan! So I can't adopt. We already have 3 rescue kitties and two rescue doggies. I did donated $5.00. I know it's not much but maybe if everyone reading Cake Wrecks donated $5.00 they could maybe afford something.

-Christine-

Stella said...

oh my...soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur....

The Blue Kraken said...

those are some SERIOUSLY weirdie kitty cakes. and i would take in a kitty if i had room. instead i shall pass it on to others who shall pass it further on :) and maybe someone will make some happy kitties

Kraken

Clementine said...

Slimer!! That would be a great cat name- if someone adopts one of the cats from Puffy Paws, you should totally name him Slimer in honor of the great and glorious Cake Wrecks :)

Jen Ben said...

@Stella: ...pretty kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr
I LOL every time at this song! =)

Laiane said...

I'm not in Florida, but I CAN send in a donation to help such a great cause!

Anonymous said...

Passing along... though, I must say, I think some of these cakes already did.

~~Di

Yo, and thanks for the second dose of chuckles.

Joanna said...

I don't live in South Florida, but I am doing my part by taking in all the stray kittens that seem drawn to my yard by some kind of homing beacon.....I had four, but found a home for one; and I continue to feed the feral cat who makes his winter nest under my rose bushes.

But I shall donate, anyway, so that the world can learn about the power of the Cake Wrecks site!


The cakes, though.....they frighten me.

Anonymous said...

To those with pets, please PLEASE spay and neuter.

There are so many wonderful, loving animals in shelters like this that it is irresponsible to continue to breed more.

Please don't breed while shelter animals die.

Maevon said...

I luv you. I really really luv you.

Jasry said...

My cat is a shelter cat! If I lived in Fla instead of the Edge of Hell known as Laredo TX, I would certainly bring home another ball of fur. I would not, however, bring home ANY of these cakes. Gack.

Anneke (Mudhooks) said...

One of our kitties, Amber, (my Mom's) died a month or so ago... He was between 17 and 19 (we lost track).

Such a sweetheart, he was.

Anonymous said...

What on earth were those decorators thinking of?!

Anika said...

poor little kitties...they all look as scared as I am of them!

Delibird said...

My husband and I recently adopted a beautiful semi-longhaired tuxedo cat who was wandering homeless in our neighborhood. Though still very shy with strangers, she has proven to be a most lovable, loving kitty. She is napping at my feet as I type this.

Her new name? Cookie!

tiny purple elephant said...

best wishes to them, they are doing a great serivce. please everyone have you pets "fixed"

missnay said...

save the kitties!!!!

Anonymous said...

What, exactly, is a "special needs cat"?

Fluffy Cow said...

OMG. The last one... *shudder*

wv- dishum: Dishum strange looking cats.

Jeb Cakesalot said...

Is the 4th one down just icing on a board? Is that why it's only 2.99??

Liz said...

Yeah, that string? Definitely looks like an over-sized sperm. That's what I thought of first. Freud would have something to say about that, but hey, I'm just calling it like I see it.

Craig said...

How to make a cupcake cat: Take two or three cupcakes. Cover with frosting. Write 'Meow' on the board. Finished.

Wouldn't it be great if all of life was that simple?

"Dude, that brain surgery final exam was easy! I just covered it in frosting and wrote 'A+' on the cover! Piece of cake!"

It took Gutzon Borglum years to carve Mt. Rushmore. If he had just had a giant piping bag, he could have finished in a day! The last step would have been to write 'Mt. Rushmore' on it in really big letters, so people would know what it was supposed to be.

Arlene said...

I wish I wasn't allergic to kitties.. ugh I love kittens too. And those cakes just scared the Halloween into me lol.

Shantastic said...

I donated $5 too, even though we live on the other side of the country in California. I've been around pets all my life, including three cats whose names have all, coincidentally, begun with "M." We just adopted a kitteh from the local shelter in August. His name is Moyer and, right now, he is sleeping on a towel on top of his litterbox lid. Don't ask...he likes it. We love him so much that I had to give something to these Florida kittehs in need. Hope many can do the same!

Anonymous said...

Purrr-fectly dreadful - would like to get my claws into the bakers who wrecked these - that black one is a hog, not a kitty!

Any child receiving that 'cat in a hat' should sue for the life time of therapy he or she will need.

flying gargoyle said...

Is there anyone willing to make a deal with a northeast shelter to ship some up here? It's done with stray dogs all the time. (i.e. our dog came to a shelter in MA from Mississippi) Perhaps it is time to do the same with kitties? Can anyone hook up the little shelters here & the little shelters there into a growing network? Lots o' needs for puts up here. Lots 'o strays down there and all...

Anonymous said...

The "special needs" cake almost made me choke on my obscenely large banana.

Anonymous said...

Where's the soundtrack to this one?

All I can hear is Rossini's Cat Duet.

Jenny Jo said...

I LOVE that last cake. It may be naively crafted, but it really captures the spirit, I think. If I made that cake, I would be extremely happy.

The black "kitty kat" cake lookes a little like a...tapir, maybe?

Cara said...

I used to have a cat who would eat string and then, ah, pass it more-or-less intact. That ball of yarn is going exactly where you think it's going. ;-)

Anne-with-an-e said...

Yikes, those are some... frosted kittehs.

Alas, I live nowhere near Florida and don't really know anyone in the area, but I'll see if I can find at least $5 to donate.
I love shelter and rescued pets. My current cat is adopted from our local SPCA, and other family members have dogs and rabbits from their local SPCA plus dogs and cats found wandering the streets.
Spay and neuter your pets, folks!

Anonymous @ 11:00, "special needs" designates an animal who has some sort of condition that requires extra attention: a long-term illness like diabetes or kidney disease, blindness or deafness, a missing limb or eye, psychological issues perhaps relating to some trauma, or sometimes even just very old age and its accompanying issues (arthritis, tooth decay, etc.). Because of the extra time and money needed for special needs animals, they are difficult to adopt out, and responsible shelters screen candidates very carefully to ensure both parties are right for each other.

Anonymous said...

Gosh and I thought the green one would be named "Booger"

kayk said...

I actually think the rest of the cakes make that black one look pretty decent! My sweet Kermit Cat might not agree, of course.

Leslie said...

I think the last cat, in the hat, meant to say: "Halp!"

I volunteer with a shelter here in Rochester, and have two kitties of my own. We are almost always over crowded, and have to put down healthy animals. It makes me sad. Answer: Have your pets spayed or neutered!!! and always go to a shelter not a breeder.

Anonymous said...

#s 2 and 3 looked pretty decent-- #4 scared the heck outta me-- the manager marked it down? The manager shoulda given it away!! LOL
The cat in the hat was KEWT!!!!

Ack!
Big Bad Baby Twinkle

Anonymous said...

The cakes look like something I would make: that's why my husband does all the cooking and baking in our house.

I work for animal rescue ,and we have 5 special needs animals of our own, three cats and two dogs. They range from a dog with the worst allergies any vet who has met him has ever seen to a young survivor of cat distemper, insensate on one side, mostly deaf and blind.

Don't just adopt the healthy and whole. All our animals are funny, smart, affectionate and incredibly adaptable. They don't know they are disabled or diseased, they just know that they got passed over until finally someone saw the value in their lives. There isn't a more loving, happy animal than the special needs cat or dog you take into your home.

And they are, no matter what, prettier than these cakes!

Cupcakes Lady said...

There was a song in an episode of Friends...a song called Smelly Cat...remember? Should have been Scary Cat...scary cat..lol..fits these cats perfectly. ;) xx

LeftWingLock said...

Special kitties need extra love. We donated in memory of ours.

dessertschick said...

Ok, I'm on the brink of being dismissed from my job (Oct 25th), and I gave $10. It's true, that's not much, but as Jen proved last December, the amassed power of Wreckies is great.

This was also after I realized I wouldn't be able to afford a road trip from Massachusetts to Florida to adopt a kitty. (And the shelters around us are probably teeming anyway.) Good luck, Puffy Paws!

Anonymous said...

[head tilt]

That's what my newly adopted kitty, Fletch, has - A head-tilt!!

C.

Anonymous said...

Not that I want to rain on their parade, or anything, but why and how did they manage to get so many cats in such a small facility that the county is threatening to put some of them down? Isn't it irresponsible of a rescue to take in more felines than they have space and resources for?

john (the hubby of Jen) said...

Anon,

Rick and Chrissy see their first responsibility as saving the lives of the cats. Frankly, most of these cats would be long dead if they hadn't taken them in. The only reason they're having issues now was some unexpected costs.

Fwiw, the house is immaculate, the cats are all gloriously healthy (unless they came into the shelter sick) and even with financial hardship, they have managed to keep them all fed for years. They are two of the most responsible people I know.

Slightly crazy? Yup. But they love cats and that's awesome.

john

Rebecca Jane said...

that final ominous cat-in-the-hat is clearly full of demons.

Whilst I am many a mile away, I shall surely pass word along!

Andrea K. said...

Wow -- them's some scary cakes!!

Jen, thanks for the reminder and the link to Puffy Paws. My donation is in!! You just have to promise to NEVER send me any of those kitty cakes!!! Oye!!

:-)

Calvin K said...

I think the string one is confused about whether it's a cat or a cow. Am I the only one who saw "Moow"?
Also, I love kittehs. Too bad I'm not in South Florida, I'd totally adopt one.
But alas, I don't have a steady paycheck either. 'Cause, you know, I'm only, like, not even 13.

Kate said...

My parents live in West Palm, and that's where I grew up. I don't live there now, but how I'd love to help!

I've actually got three half-grown kittens I'm trying to find homes for in Northwest Florida.

Anonymous said...

Most of those look exactly like Furbies. If they just pretended that's what they were going for, they'd have some pretty successful cakes.

Anonymous said...

I like the third cake best. It actually looks cute!

Alas, I am pretty much broke. I grew up with cats most of my life and they are fun, curious and sweet creatures who can surprise you. I wish the people luck!

Jans Funny Farm said...

Saw your link on the CB and came by. I posted on Puffy Paws today and hope everything works out for them.

For some reason, coming here has made me hungry. Think I better go feed the dogs and fix myself something.

Leanne said...

Great way to support a cause. Hope you helped spread the word. Saw the 2011 Cake Wrecks calendar in the store today (in Australia) - well done!

Anonymous said...

I donated $15. I have a true soft spot for cats. They are so loving and beautiful!

These cakes, however, are violently hideous!

john (the hubby of Jen) said...

Hey all,

I just want to reiterate a couple of things for those of you concerned about the methods and means of Puffy paws.

1. The cats are well fed.

2. The facility is absolutely sparkling. Seriously. Jen and I have been there.

3. The goal is to adopt out as many cats as possible.

4. The cats that have a disease like Leukemia, are separated in their own area and live out their lives quite happily. No cat suffers.

5. They have converted a two car garage into a fully finished, air-conditioned space just for the cats. Their house is also separated into sections for amiable cats, aggressive cats, etc.

6. The reason they have so many cats is that people drop them off anonymously and leave.

It's important to realize that there are only three options for unwanted cats: go to a shelter to be put down, live in the wild, or be taken in by a loving family. I understand that a few of you think that the cats would have been better off dead but I assure you that's only because you've never been to Puffy Paws and seen the life they live there.

One final note: Puffy Paws did quite well for a while. They had daily volunteers and they adopted out many, many cats. The State decided that volunteers and adoptions should not be allowed and this is the direct reason for the overabundance of cats. It really is a shame that the government would rather kill animals than allow a caring couple to help save them on their own time.

Have a great night,

john

observer of odd said...

i used to have 2 beautiful and loving cats, but my dad didn't like them. so guess what he did? he gave them away while i was at summer camp! he didn't even tell me! please adopt a kitty for me cuz i live in upstate ny.