Bugzy - Love at first sight

My beloved, Cicco, a 14 yr old male tuxedo cat, had passed away Nov. 27, 2007, from a severe respiratory infection. I was heartbroken and thought I did not want another pet for quite awhile. After a few weeks had passed I started looking at adoptable cats online but not with intention to adopt, at least, not yet. I suppose out of "comfort" I looked at these sites every day, AFRP in particular. I got to know every face, name, medical issue, etc. I donated regularly. I was happy to see when individuals got adopted and was sad when I'd see some of the same little faces still there...waiting for to be chosen.
It was May, I think, when I decided this 3 legged tabby named, Bubbuh, who was there for a bit, was the one I will adopt. I filled out an application, submitted it and to my surprise...was rejected! I thought, how can an animal loving, CAT LOVING, individual as myself be *rejected* from adopting?! I wait hand-and-foot on my cat(s) and cater to their EVERY need. But, as the foster mom told me, my work was too far away and Bubbuh would be left alone during the day for too long and that wasn't good for his needs. Understood. What is not meant to be, is not meant to be. I had to really shake that one off.
I continued to "troll" ;-) the adoptable pets. Seriously. I was obsessed with 'looking'.
It was Love, and laughter, at first sight when I saw Bugsy's picture on the AFRP adoption site in June 2008. What a funny little face! I saved the pic and sent it to my friends saying, "This may be my next baby". I would look back at the site to see if he was still there and after 2 weeks, I submitted my application. I had a memorial in Yreka, of all places, to go to the day before I had to pick Bugsy up from Pacific Grove. THat morning I drove from Yreka directly to PG, with all my kitty supplies. I set my house up before I left for Yreka with the catbox, water/food bowls, cat beds, tower, toys...you name it, his set up was READY. As soon as I saw that tiny little goatee-faced ball of fuzz I laughed out loud and knew I found the ONE. The staff there were so kind and one of the guys said that Bugsy was his favorite. When I signed the papers, I changed the spelling of his name from Bugsy to Bugzy-with a "z". Z is for Zappa! ;) We've been living happily ever since! :)
THank you for little Bugzy boy, my sweet Love! Thank you AFRP for all that you do!!

Mona, Bugzy & Faith
Soquel, CA

Adopt an Adult Cat for $50 in June!

In celebration of National Adopt-A-Shelter Cat month, AFRP is offering discounted adoption fees for all adult cats through the month of June! Normally $150, all adult cats over the age of one year have a low adoption fee of $50.

This is a limited time offer! All cats come with standard 4-Paw drive, Free microchip, Spay/Neuter, Vaccines, FIV/FeLV Testing, Free Vet Exam, and a 100,000 Purr Warranty.

Check out our web site to see some of our available cats, or stop by one of our adoption locations and take home a new best friend today!

Dine Out for the Animals June 23!

Mark your calendar for June 23, grab your friends and enjoy a fantastic meal at one of several generous local restaurants that are donating 10% of their proceeds to help homeless AFRP animals. Participating restaurants include The Fishwife, Peppers, Carmel Belle, Favaloro's Big Night Bistro, Henry's BBQ, Turtle Bay Taqueria and the Santa Lucia Cafe. Click here for more information.

Help us Cheer for Marianne!

We are thrilled to have amateur golfer Marianne Towersey representing Animal Friends Rescue Project in the 2010 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Birdies for Charity Shoot-Out Qualifier on Saturday, January 23. Marianne has won many amateur championships over the years, and with her skill and a little luck, we're hoping AFRP will qualify for the Charity Shoot-Out on February 9.

We'd love to have you come out and help us cheer Marianne on! She will be competing against representatives from 59 local nonprofit organizations in a closest-to-the pin contest at Peter Hay Golf Course in Pebble Beach, between 9:00 - 9:15 am on Saturday January 23.

When entering Pebble Beach, tell the gate attendant you are attending the Birdies for Charity Shoot-Out Qualifier, and your gate fee will be waived. Follow the signs to the Lodge at Pebble Beach, and parking will be available at designated areas near Peter Hay Golf Course.

Can't make it? You can also support AFRP by making a donation to Birdies for Charity. 100% of all collected pledges will go directly to AFRP, with a 10% match from the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.

Your Gift to AFRP -Matched Dollar for Dollar!

There's still a few days left to make your year-end gift to AFRP through the Monterey County Weekly Community Fund. Thanks to their matching grant, your donation will make double the difference for homeless animals. Send in $10, $25, $50, $100, $1,000 or more, and it will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000 total! Simply print out a donation form and mail on or before December 31 to be eligible for the matching grant.

As a bonus, The Monterey County Community Fund is also donating $1,000 to the group that receives donations from the largest number of readers, and $1,000 to the organization that has the most contributions from readers under the age of 35.

What a great time to make a charitable contribution to AFRP, knowing that it will make a big difference in the lives of animals, and lower your tax bill come April 15. Click here to print out a donation form, and remember to mail it on or before December 31!

Help Win $10,000 for Homeless Animals!

In November, Care 2, the largest online community of people passionate about animal welfare and Adopt-a-Pet, one of the country's largest pet adoption charities joined together to create America's Favorite Animal Shelter Contest.

The animal shelter or rescue organization that receives the most online votes will win a grand prize of $10,000! In addition, each week a shelter is chosen at random to win $500. What a wonderful holiday gift for the homeless dogs and cats counting on AFRP for medical care, food, shelter and adoptive homes.

It's easy to help AFRP win! Just cast your vote for Animal Friends Rescue Project at Care2.com - you only need to vote one time and it only takes a minute of your time. You can help AFRP get even more votes by telling everyone you know about the contest. Feel free to forward this information to your friends, family and coworkers.

Currently the Saint John Animal Rescue League of Nebraska is in first place with 5038 votes. Let’s see if we can give them a run for the money!

Please cast your vote today at Care2.com, the contest ends December 16!

Goin' 2 Da Dogs (and Cats) Benefit Concert

Join us Saturday December 5 for a very special Christmas concert to benefit Animal Friends Rescue Project. The Jon Rubin Group with Deanna Lynn will be playing their original acoustic fusion sound combining folk, rock, blues, celtic, bluegrass, jazz and classical influences to support a cause very close to their hearts.

This accomplished string trio (guitar, bass, viola) has been performing regularly from Monterey to San Francisco since May. Don't miss this very special evening of great music for a great cause!

Time: 7:30 pm, Saturday December 5

Place: The Works, 667 Lighthouse Ave in Pacific Grove

Info: All ages welcome, $10 cover charge. 100% of the artists' after-expense proceeds will benefit AFRP.