Our shady set up under a tree on the lawn at MARS.
This was one of the nicest events we have ever attended. For starters, the “cat people” got prime spots on the lawn at the MARS Adoption on the Lawn Event on Saturday, July 10. The MARS volunteers put all of the kitties under trees in the shade to keep them from getting hot. We had prime real estate at this four hour event during some of the hottest moments of the day.
Not only did we get spoiled with our location, but I have to say, the MARS people who came out and helped with this event were the kindest group of volunteers I have ever met. They went out of their way to make everything very, very easy for us. The MARS people helped us carry everything to our spot. Then they also provided us with water for ourselves and the cats. Additionally, they came by every half an hour to ask us if we needed anything, and then they helped us clean up. I have been to other events where you are pretty much on your own–and don’t even bother to ask anyone to lift a crate or a table. But not here. Everyone bent over backwards to help us in any way possible.
Plus, we had food galore–free food, at that. Chips and drinks and water and a giant cat carrying all the M & M’s you could eat! What more could you ask for?
The Giant M & M toting MARS cat.
The MARS event is by invitation only and there were fifteen groups on the Lawn on Saturday. A DJ kept track of the adoptions that occurred throughout the day and there were well over twenty lucky animals that found new homes.
While we did not have any adoptions, we did have several people who were interested in our kitties. One family in particular fell in love with our Maine Coon boy, Alastaire.
We also discovered what sweethearts Apple Seed and Bean Bag are. We split the brothers up because their crate was just too small for both of them. But Bean Bag, separated from Apple Seed, went and crawled in his litter pan, a bit despondent. So we picked him up and passed him around for the entire four hours. He never grew tired of sitting in someone’s lap. I have never seen a cat behave so well for that long of a period of time. He went to sleep, perfectly content, and was not disturbed by the noises, the dogs, or the kids who wanted to pet him.
Bean Bag was passed around from one lap to the next and he never grew tired of all the attention.
Apple Seed, on the other hand, never lost any energy. He is like a hyper Energizer bunny. He knocked over his litter pan trying to grab a tiny green toy mouse. He batted at the kittens next to him, trying to steal food from Harper Lee and her siblings, Stephanie and Hamilton. He practically did flips each time someone came by his crate, lifting his butt in the air, and shaking his tail.
The kitten crew, Harper Lee, Hamilton, and Stephanie, did very well considering that they must have been picked up over one hundred times. Every kid on the lawn wanted to hold them.
By the end of the day, everyone was worn out and we had to turn on the portable fans to keep the gang from getting too hot. Alastaire, the hairiest of the bunch, laid down in front of his fan and refused to move. He was perfectly content with the breeze in his whiskers.
My own personal fan...what more could a cat want?
We want to thank everyone at MARS for treating us like royalty. We also want to thank Kristin, Christina, and Susan for helping with the event and Linda, Brian, and Christina’s Aunt and Uncle for coming out to visit us and support us. An especially big thank you to Sheryl, Diane, and Judy, who I work with at MARS for food donations. You guys are the best!
Finally, at the end of the day, MARS gave all of the rescue groups lots of free food to take home to their animals. No one got left out–not even those who stayed behind at the shelters or in foster care.
