Eva Longoria Cat Lover

Another celeb is coming out of the cat closet. Well not really, it was never a secret for Eva Longoria whose had life long love for cats since she was a little girl.

Here is a link to her involvement in an ad campaign showing a single sexy woman coming home from work and starts dancing. Who is her  audience? A cat!

Here's to sexy cat ladies turning around the misconception of cat lovers!

Do you know of any other celebrities who are cat lovers? We know about Carrie Ann Inaba, Eva Longoria and Cee Lo Green.  Click on "Comment" and tell us who is your favorite celeb cat lover.

Charlie's New Home in Abu Dhabi

by Christine Michaels

And so we continue Charlie's magic carpet ride to Abu Dhabi, a series of posts that follows the journey of Charlie, a once abandoned cat in downtown Miami, and the exemplary steps by his pet guardians to ensure his safe transport to their new home in the Middle East. We left off in part two where Charlie was settling in the AVC Cattery.

Nina, his mother, visited Charlie daily as the cattery was located a few blocks from the hotel where Nina and Felipe resided until they found a permanent home. When I asked Nina about the staff and care of the cats in Abu Dhabi, her response was "Tony, the man in the photo below of Indian descent, has two cats of his own and he's really a cat lover. He and his staff check on the cats several times a day. They ensure the cats eat their food, and if not, then they switch their food to a brand the guardians have pre-approved. The cats are also weighed daily. The staff pet the cats and talk to them, it's amazing."

Tony with a client cat

Charlie resting on higher level in his three- story cage

Turns out Charlie took comfort in the over-sized but private compartments in the cattery.  So much so he met a feline named Belle and fell in love during his exploration time. That was fast! They sniffed, rubbed noses and purred. Perhaps his middle name should be anointed "Casanova".

The time came to move to their new condo. Like all cats, new surroundings generate consternation, like exposing oneself. Charlie searched frantically for a place to hide in a room piled with boxes. Let the Musical Hiding Game begin! First there was the oven...

"This is no good, they can see me!"

 Then he scrambled inside the dishwasher...

"Better but uncomfortable"

 And of course a favorite--the clothes closet.

"Ok--familiar scent, looks like a closet but it's not the Miami closet"

With time and at his own pace, Charlie explored his new home. (This is important during the transition to a new home. Never force a cat to come out from hiding or to lay on the sofa or on your lap. Your cat will know when the time is right.)

"Hmm I wonder what's there?"

"Will I fit here to hide?"

"That shelf is looking mighty purrfect for me to hide"

And finally, something familiar--a chair. When the furniture arrived from their home in Miami, Nina unwrapped the tall chairs and Charlie jumped with glee. "This has my scent! And my mommy and daddy's scent and our other home..."

Charlie napping in the living room on his favorite chair.
(He's also not hiding anymore)

Then there was the question of exercise.  Charlie used to jump on the bed and desk and office chair back in Miami. But with minimal furniture, Nina and Felipe were concerned that Charlie was lacking exercise. They were right. But the solution was an easy one. They purchased LACK shelves from the local IKEA. This accomplished two goals--maintaining a modern theme and ensuring Charlie had plenty of vertical space for exercise. Cat furniture is very limited in UAE so thankfully there was a familiar store.

Charlie inside IKEA bag

(Charlie napping on tall chair)
Shelves on wall are for Charlie's climbing pleasure

Charlie sitting on Nina's lap in new condo in Abu Dhabi

Charlie is bored with his new view--construction boom in Abu Dhabi

We are thrilled to share this story of Charlie's rescue and adoption and his big move half way around the world. It's a fine example of responsible pet parenting. Nina and Felipe spared no expense in ensuring the safe transport of their newest family addition. They took the time to do their homework, cross checking with officials and vets both in the US and UAE. 

But this is not the end of Charlie's story just this chapter. We will continue to provide updates on Charlie and eventually Riverfront Cats will celebrate this special adoption story with our Rags to Riches Contest. Stay tuned!

A Cat in Paris -Debut in Miami

ACADEMY AWARD^® NOMINEE
A CAT IN PARIS

OPENS JULY 13 AT THE O CINEMA
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT!!!

http://www.o-cinema.org/2012/07/a-cat-in-paris/

Showtimes and ticket info here

See the preview

"GORGEOUS!It's like an animated children's version of an Alfred Hitchcock or
Roman Polanski thriller set on the rooftops of Paris ."
-New York Times

"Sublime! Breathtaking!Rich with film references (Reservoir Dogs and Goodfellas among them), A Cat in Paris is a stylish celebration of storytelling!" -The Boston Globe

"Wonderful, Sophisticated Fun!" -San Francisco Chronicle

"IRRESISTIBLE!A charming, visually sparkling Parisian fantasy!!"
-Empire Magazine

The Academy Award® nominated A CAT IN PARIS from directors Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol is a beautifully hand-drawn caper set in the shadow-drenched alleyways of Paris . Dino is a cat that leads a double life. By day he lives with Zoe, a little girl whose mother is a detective in the Parisian police force.

But at night Dino sneaks out the window to work with Nico - a slinky cat burglar with a big heart, whose fluid movements are poetry in motion as he evades captors and slips and swishes from rooftop to rooftop across the Paris skyline. Rife with film references (from Reservoir Dogs to Goodfellas to The Night of the Hunter) A CAT IN PARIS is a warm and richly humorous love letter to classic noir and American gangster films, with jazz soundtrack featuring Billie Holiday.

Featuring the voices of Academy Award® winner Marcia Gay Harden ( Mystic River ), Academy Award® winner Anjelica Huston (The Royal Tenenbaums) and Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket). The film is rated PG for mild action and violence, and some thematic material.

Nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards and beloved by festival audiences and critics around the world. A CAT IN PARIS opens exclusively at the Angelika Film Center and AMC Empire 25 in New York on June 1, and expands around the country in the following weeks. Learn more about the full list of theaters on our Facebook page. (Movie is rated PG, 70 min)

Like A Cat in Paris

We have a situation...

Dear Riverfront Neighbors, Friends, Followers

I started an update on the Riverfront cats but there is more.

(Update August 28, 2012: for the impact of Tropical Storm Isaac that just passed through Miami, please read toward the bottom of this posting).

This story originates this past bitter, cold winter when one night it was raining nonstop, a very rare occurence for the season. Normally we see these rains during a tropical storm in the summertime.

Typically we feed the Riverfront cats around 7-8pm. But that night, I waited for the rains to stop. It didn't. Consulting with every weather news channel there was no sign of rains ceasing. So I headed out about 9pm in rain boots, raincoat and oversized umbrella and at station 3, my heart dropped. There they were-- the five cats at Station 3 standing frozen, soaking wet, and shivering. They looked up at me with relief! Oh my gosh I started to cry!

The condo cut down all the trees and bushes, the only semi- protection to shield them. The rain continued pelting them and these cats were starving. I was so overwhelmed in their trust in me. They knew I would appear to feed them no matter what. But the problem now was where to feed them. The rain would dissolve their food.  I knew cat houses were needed for rainy season and it's here!

Also, we're down to two volunteers and one just lost her job! The other volunteers (even dog owners who never had cats) have moved out.

We urgently need donations to buy cat food & build cat houses. 

To help, just click on the DONATION button on upper right side. You can easily donate with credit card or PayPal. Any amount will help. Or feel free to donate monthly. Or just from making online purchases at Amazon, Mr. Chewy and PetApprovedRx, these vendors will donate a small percentage to Riverfront Cats!

Due to our successful system (TNRM), these cats are not starving and are healthy and happy in general. We religiously feed them every night and the cats appear at feeding time so they are not crossing the major roads, looking for food and getting killed as what happened in 2008. We also apply flea topical solution.

We saved them from being inhumanely dumped at a park, we saved them from the kill-shelter, we saved them from being road kill. They are the Riverfront Pets! We have people with some time, but limited money, and people willing to donate money but have no spare time to volunteer. So with a little coordinating and teamwork we can help our Riverfront pets.

If you prefer to drop off the food or build the houses--even better! The cat houses are nothing fancy. I can explain in more detail. Just email me at riverfrontcats@yahoo.com

Thank you for taking a moment to help your community. As always, you're welcome to join the volunteers in the daily feedings--weekday, weekend, workday, holiday to observe first hand what we do and meet these amazing pets.

UPDATE August 28: It was very painful not to be able to feed the cats during Tropical Storm Isaac. Two cats have not appeared and we hope they did not go too far in search of food. We really need more donations to build those cat houses. We have a place to secure the houses in the event of storms.  You can make a donation or  help by purchasing cat food or vitamins and medications on the banner ads to the right (Mr. Chewy, Amazon, VetApprovedRx), we receive a small donation from the vendor. THANK YOU!

Many blessings for your help,
Christine Michaels