The 12 Days of Catmas 

click to enlarge

Contrary to what obnoxious commercials tell you, the 12 Days of Christmas are not the days leading up to Dec. 25 when you can find deals, deals, DEALS! on coffee makers and video games. No, the 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and continue to the early-January holiday Epiphany ... all of which is to say that, yes, it does make sense that this issue is celebrating what we're calling the 12 Days of Catmas.

For this new holiday, we're putting the spotlight on six local cats currently living at Best Friends and the Humane Society who'd love to go home with someone for the holidays—and forever. Animal-rescue organizations are making great strides through adoption programs, spay/neuter clinics and no-kill initiatives to reduce the number of homeless pets in our state, but Utah's many shelters are still full of felines who want nothing more than kibble and a lap in return for a lifetime of love and lint-rolling.

If you can't find the cat that calls to you in these pages, know that there are plenty of felines ready to enrich the lives of everyone from playful kids to grumpy old cat men. Want proof? We've profiled a handful of our own beloved cat companions, all rescued from local shelters or the mean streets, who put smiles on the faces of even the most cynical journalists.

Merry Catmas,
City Weekly

Marketing/Events Coordinator
Nicole Enright

SIGN: Virgo
BIRTHPLACE: Murray
WORKED AT CW SINCE: 2014
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Traveling and exploring, dancing (even though I am terrible), Netflix
FAVORITE BOOKS: 1984, The Hunger Games
BEST CONCERT: Green Day
FAVORITE SONG TO SING: "King of New York"
FAVORITE HANGOUT: Junior's Tavern
HOW I MET MY CAT: I met Shoes at the Best Friends Super Pet Adoption last year. I had no intention of having any pets, ever, but my friend was working there, and I went to visit him. When I first spotted Shoes, she was climbing up her cage like SpiderCat. I just couldn't forget her; it was love at first sight. My husband, Matt, and I went back the next day to see her. She was still there, climbing up that cage, going wild. So we adopted her. One day we went to buy Shoes some things at Petsmart. CAWS was there doing adoptions. I turned around, and Matt was holding this tiny ragamuffin kitten: fur sticking every which way, the biggest nose I had ever seen on a cat. His mouth didn't quite close because he has a huge overbite. I knew we were taking him home.
FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND A SUNDAY: Drinking, napping, chillin' with my cats
FAVORITE PLACE TO GO ON VACATION: San Francisco

Shoes
AGE: 1
GENDER: Female
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Chasing and bathing Chandler
FAVORITE FOODS: Ice cream, treats
PEOPLE I ADMIRE: Matt
JOBS BEFORE MODELING: Sleeping all day, hiding from the vacuum monster
FAVORITE HANGOUT: In front of the window or on top of the tower
GUILTY PLEASURES: Zip ties, ice cubes
AMBITIONS: To catch those bees I watch through the window all day
SPORTS PLAYED: Catch the mouse, pounce Chandler
WORST PICK-UP LINE I'VE EVER HEARD: Here, kitty kitty
SIGNALS I GIVE A HUMAN WHEN I WANT HIM/HER TO MAKE THE FIRST MOVE: Long stares

Chandler
AGE: 9 months
GENDER: Chandler!
TURN-ONS: Chandler!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Chandler!
AMBITIONS: Chandler
PEOPLE I ADMIRE: Chandler?
JOBS BEFORE MODELING: Chandler
FAVORITE SONG TO SING: Chandler!
BEST PICK-UP LINE I'VE EVER HEARD: Chandler!

Hiccup
AGE: 7
GENDER: Male.
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Humane Society of Utah
TURN-ONS: Beatnik poetry, fine cheese, string toys, Miles Davis
TURN-OFFS: Loud noises, people unexpectedly coming around corners
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Hanging out with other cats and even occasionally some dogs
PEOPLE I ADMIRE: Anyone who brushes me
JOBS BEFORE MODELING: Political activist
GUILTY PLEASURES: Dancing to "Cat Scratch Fever"
AMBITIONS: To be adopted by someone who will pet me all the time
SIGNALS I GIVE A HUMAN WHEN I WANT HIM/HER TO MAKE THE FIRST MOVE: Play hard to get
IF I COULD GO ANYWHERE, I WOULD GO: Into my forever home, and straight onto a lap, forever