Just like my name, I have energy and I am courageous. I’m a shiny black pantherette of a cat, from the streets of Colorado Springs, but I really wanted a real home because I am definitely a people cat.

I like to talk and get your attention on occasion. I will rub up on you and look at you with my big beautiful eyes waiting for a treat. If it weren’t for nice people that work with Happy Cats, I would be out on the streets in the cold January weather and that doesn’t suit my style.

Perhaps you have a great couch I can lounge on. Maybe while you’re making dinner we can have a discussion. I will appreciate it if you have some toys that I can bat around and perhaps a window that I can soak up some sun.

I’m doing great with my new cat friends here at the Haven, so as long as your cat family is nice too, I’m sure I’ll fit right in. I can be a little shy at first, but warm up to fast and would love to be your Personal Assistant! We don’t yet know how I am with dogs or small children.

I can be adopted for $80, which includes my virus testing, spay, microchip, vaccinations, food and litter starter kit and a free vet visit voucher. I’m sure you and I will have many evenings to chat but you have to come down and meet me so we can be bestest friends forever!

You can click here to fill out an Adoption Application for me. Someone should get back to you within 48 hours after you send it in. If you’d like to contact someone more quickly, please call Happy Cats at 719-362-4600.

Hi, I’m Peanut. I am a sweet fellow with a beautiful lynx point coat and Siamese heritage, as you can tell by my blue eyes. I was left behind so a kind neighbor took me in but the other cats didn’t like me.

As you can see by my tipped ear, I was an outdoor cat once but I am too nice to be on the streets. I would love to have a safe home where I can feel like I am part of the family. I’m doing fine with my new cat friends here at the Haven, so will probably fit in with your cat family too. We don’t yet know if I like dogs, but I’m an easy going guy so a gentle introduction might be just the ticket. At about 4 years old, I’m still a youngster and love to play if you give me the chance.

I can be adopted for $80, which includes my virus testing, neuter, microchip, vaccinations, food & litter starter kit and a free vet visit. Please drop by…I’d love to meet you!

You can click here to fill out an Adoption Application for me. Someone should get back to you within 48 hours after you send it in. If you’d like to contact someone more quickly, please call Happy Cats at 719-362-4600.

Hello there, Stranger. I am Bella, a stunning girl with a bright white coat and by the tip on my ear, you can see I was once a trap and release cat. A really nice lady found me on the streets but she saw that there was something special about me.

She took me in for a while so I could get used to what it’s like indoors all the time. I am very sweet and loving and it was because of her that I can now find a great home. I would love to turn in my TNR card for a home with a nice family!

I’m about a year old and just look at my big topaz eyes. Oh my. As you can see, they are very expressive and gentle, just like my personality.

I’m sure you have room in your home for me. I don’t know if I will get along with dogs or kids but I am sure I will get along just fine with you.

I can be adopted for $80, which includes my virus testing, spay, microchip, vaccinations, food and litter starter kit and a free vet visit voucher. I’ve a lot of love to give, how about you?

You can click here to fill out an Adoption Application for me. Someone should get back to you within 48 hours after you send it in. If you’d like to contact someone more quickly, please call Happy Cats at 719-362-4600.

Picture this. You’re a cute little boy kitten, rambunctious and playful. For whatever reason, you play too hard, you don’t “get along” with the other cats or dogs, you go outside the box because someone chases you away, so you end up outside, fending for yourself.

Your hormones kick in. Intact male cats are hardwired to procreate, just like intact females. It’s not exactly a love story, as there isn’t a lot of consent involved with everyone compelled to mate over and over until the females get pregnant. An intact male will be forced by his hormones to travel up to 3 square miles if he scents an intact female; he has no choice. Neither does he always choose the fights that arise from having many intact males vying for females, or the abuse they both can receive from humans who don’t like their behavior.

Keep in mind that most of this is perfectly preventable with neutering or spaying, as most fixed cats don’t act like this once those hormones go away.

FIV is transmitted through mating and deep wounds, both of which are likely to happen with this less-than-pretty process, both to males and to females. While occasional fighting may occur with neutered cats, it’s nothing like that of intact cats who are competing for resources, whether food or mating partners.

So here you are, a young male cat, showing up in line for an intact lady cat. You’re very likely to get beat up in the process, even if you are a scrapper, like little Rambo here. If you’re not, you’re even more likely to get FIV from losing those battles.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that recent research tells us cats who are positive for this virus have just as good a chance of living the same number of years as non-FIV cats, especially with good veterinary care. If the cat is one of the sweet ones who got beat up getting the disease, as most of them are, it’s also been proven that they can live happily with other cats and not transmit the disease, unless there’s serious fighting in the home.

Because of this, we are taking in a limited number of FIV+ cats as long as we have room in foster care for them. We will test them twice to make sure they have FIV, as well as provide a blood panel for their baseline health.

As best we can, we will also test for temperament to see if they are cats we can recommend as getting along with other cats.

Most vets will recommend twice yearly checkups to make sure they are in good health, with special attention paid to dental issues and quickly treating any infections, as their immune systems don’t work quite as well as their non-FIV friends. They also recommend annual testing of any cats housed with an FIV+ cat to be sure about their status too.

Rambo, Columbo, Sasha and Stormy are already adopted, but we think you’ll find that our other FIV+ cats are some of the most lovable and sweet cats in the world!

Coming to a shelter is probably one of the scariest things that can happen to a cat, even at Happy Cats! They have been stripped of everything they know and love and find themselves with very little that is familiar, (except for the bedding, toys and food that we ask they be brought with).

Imagine bringing your own sweet and loving cat to a conventional shelter, alongside any completely unsocialized, feral community cat. Research proves that, in the first several days, even the best cat expert won’t be able to tell them apart. Both will probably be either cowering or frozen in fear, overwhelmed by the new sights, sounds and smells of their new situation that contrasts so starkly with what they knew as home. There’s a big risk in conventional shelters for turning adoptable cats into unadoptable ones.

Since we opened in 2011, Happy Cats Haven has been committed to reducing the fear in our shelter cats to get them–and keep them!–more adoptable. It’s all about making the cats feel safe.

Even before they come in, we teach people how to transport their cats and even give away a carrier cover with every adoption to make them feel safer. We teach our staff and volunteers to be respectful of cats’ needs when handling them, which can be very feline specific. When they are less afraid, their stress goes down. When their stress is down, they stay healthier. It also increases their confidence, and when that happens, we have happy, healthy cats for adoption!

Happy Cats Haven is now officially Fear Free Certified. This is a program that was recently started to make sure that the emotional well-being of pets is taken care of, along with their health. Three members of the Happy Cats team are certified in Fear Free Handling and we teach it to all of our staff and volunteers. This is an expansion of what we’ve taught all along, honing our skills and helping us to better care for our cats.

Fear Free Pets now offers support for all pet owners on their Fear Free Happy Homes site. Like our own website, they have lots of great resources and videos for simple ways to keep your own cat happy, both emotionally and physically.

We’re very proud to be a part of this great program, which we hope will help cat guardians everywhere to keep cats in their homes! Enjoy this great video on Cat Body Language, which we use to teach our own volunteers about how to better communicate with all cats.

I started out as a stray kitty in a lumberyard. I then was adopted and…well I don’t want to go into too many details but I am Victoria, a beautiful 5 year old, short hair tortoiseshell. I need really special people to help me along this Earthly journey. It’s hard to describe the life I really, really want but I do want to know you care for me and value me. I believe there’s a special human for every cat but I haven’t found that one just yet. Maybe it’s you?

I can tell you that I enjoy quiet evenings spent at home with gentle souls. At first I will wonder about you but I will come around if you give me some time. I’m probably not very good around children or dogs. I was bullied in the past and might tolerate a cat if they are gentle souls too but I’m kind of thinking I might prefer to be the light of your life and no other. We can negotiate that, however.

I’m still a young cat, so give me the chance and a few wand toys and I come alive like any little kitten! I love to talk and will be happy to tell you all about my day and listen to you tell me about yours. I just need a calm and soothing place so I know I’m safe and watch me blossom!

I can be adopted for $80, which includes my vaccinations, spay, microchip, food & litter starter kit and a free vet visit voucher. Right now, I am on a simple medication that I eat in a treat that helps my anxiety, but it’s possible I might not need it if my new home is nice and calm, like it’s been for me here at Happy Cats. If you come down to meet me, please do so and remember to come to me gently. I might surprise you if you are the soulmate for me.

You can click here to fill out an Adoption Application for me. Someone should get back to you within 48 hours after you send it in. If you’d like to contact someone more quickly, please call Happy Cats at 719-362-4600.

Masonry Gallery 3 columns:

I make green look gooood! I’m George, an 8 year old ginger fellow with a lot of love and affection to offer most anyone that comes my way. I had to be surrendered and though that makes me a bit sad, I do know there are good people out there just chomping on the bit to adopt a big guy like me. I will ask nicely for some skritches and I will offer my gorgeous head for a bonk here and there.

In the scheme of things, life could be worse because I landed here at Happy Cats Haven where the staff and volunteers are so nice. I’ve heard them talk and they really like me! But, I can’t stay here forever, I need a home where I can play and snuggle and rub up on the legs of someone coming in the door after a day doing whatever humans do. I do well with cats, dogs, and kids so I should fit right in with your family!

I can be adopted for $80, which includes my vaccinations, neuter, microchip, food & litter starter kit and a free vet visit voucher.  I’m at our partner Chuck & Don’s in Castle Rock, so please come meet me! I’m so handsome and sweet, I know you want to adopt me. You can call Happy Cats at 719-362-4600 if you need more info.

You can click here to fill out an Adoption Application for me. Someone should get back to you within 48 hours after you send it in. If you’d like to contact someone more quickly, please call Happy Cats at 719-362-4600.

Hi fans, I’m Feeney! I’m a stunning little longhaired brown tabby fellow with handsome green eyes just like my brother Sweeney. I look a lot like my Maine Coon cousins with my plush fur and I don’t have the white socks, but you can definitely tell we’re brothers!

We came here with after we were rescued with our mom Darcy from trying to survive outside on the edge of the forest, just in time before the predators got to us. Even though we were at least a couple of months old when we were brought inside, we had a couple of nice foster families who helped us get past our initial fear.

You can see I’m a little flirt, and we’re both lovable little fellows, ready to rub and purr our little whiskers off once we get to know you. I love to hang out with my favorite people, just like Sweeney. I’m a little more shy than him, but he helps me be brave when it comes time for meeting new people or being introduced to new things. Because we were brought in from outside, we may have some kitty post-traumatic stress, making us a little more afraid of new things and people. With a little patience, though, we’ll be your best loverboys ever!

Like typical 6-month-old catolescents, we love to play with just about anything we can get our furry paws on. We’ll pounce and play and entertain you for hours!

I can be adopted for $80, which includes my virus testing, neuter, microchip, vaccinations, food and litter starter kit and a free vet visit voucher. Since SWeeney is my BFF as well as my brother, we’ll need to be adopted as a pair. There’s always the Buddy Discount to help make that happen! Drop by and come play with us!

You can click here to fill out an Adoption Application for me. Someone should get back to you within 48 hours after you send it in. If you’d like to contact someone more quickly, please call Happy Cats at 719-362-4600.

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya, I’m Sweeney! I’m a dapper prince of a catolescent, come to make your fairy tale dreams come true! I have medium length brown tabby fur (except for my fluffy tail!) with stunning green eyes, cute white paws and just a little powdered sugar dusting on my nose.

I came here with my brother Feeney after we were rescued with our mom Darcy from trying to survive outside on the edge of the forest, just before the predators got to us. He looks a lot like me except for no white patches and much longer fur.

We’re best friends as well as brothers, having been through thick and thin together. Like typical 6-month-old catolescents, we love to play with just about anything we can get our furry paws on. We’ll pounce and play and entertain you for hours!

Just because we’re active little fellows, though, that doesn’t mean we won’t be your Snuggle Bunnies and settle down to give you some lovin’ too. I love to trade pets for purrs and hang out with my favorite people, just like Feeney. I’m a little more confident than he is, but he’s right behind me, once we know we’re safe. Because we were brought in from outside, we may have some kitty post-traumatic stress, making us a little more afraid of new things and people. With a little patience, though, we’ll be your best loverboys ever!

I can be adopted for $80, which includes my virus testing, neuter, microchip, vaccinations, food and litter starter kit and a free vet visit voucher. Since Feeney is my BFF as well as my brother, we’ll need to be adopted as a pair. There’s always the Buddy Discount to help make that happen! Won’t you drop by and meet us?

You can click here to fill out an Adoption Application for me. Someone should get back to you within 48 hours after you send it in. If you’d like to contact someone more quickly, please call Happy Cats at 719-362-4600.

She definitely has some “cattitude”; loves to tell me what she is thinking … about everything … has her own opinion and always has a comment to share. Her favorite things are getting her twice daily brushing, massages, sleeping on her bumble bee pillow (and in unusual places), chasing ribbons, and playing with her “prey” (her favorite fuzzy balls).

When the weather is nice she loves sleeping in her window bed or going out on the deck to sniff the air to find out what is going on in her neighborhood, then relaxes on one of her pillows on a chair or on the table. She thinks she is the Queen of the Castle (I keep telling her that I am the Queen, she is the Princess … but it falls on deaf ears I think!).

She passed her wellness exam a few months ago with flying colors (except for her weight). New interactive toys are on their way to help her exercise more and have a variety of things to do during her awake time. She is such a sweet girl, I am blessed to have her in my life!

Shirley Kundzicz