Leith (adopter of Nancy, now named Nuki)
My friends and family all say Nuki is a cute trouble maker, and I have to agree with them. For she still is getting on and into things that she knows she’s not to get into. As the weather cools she has also started to target the warmest places in the apartment, and she also is starting to be more cuddly then normal. Other then that she doing about that same at before.
(Picture shows Grissom and Nuki (right) cuddling.)

Dori (adopter of Michou & Sherif)
Here is a video of Michou and Sherif (size: 4 MB - it might take a while to load in a new window and will open in Windows Media Player) at their new home in Boston. Michou is a bronze Shirazi Mau male and Sherif a bronze Mau male. They were friends at the shelter when Sherif was a kitten and separated for a year while Michou went to his home. Eventually Sherif joined him. Dori says: "They both weigh exactly 10 lbs.! Michou looks three times the size because of his coat...They are playing and sleeping together... Everything we could have hoped for!"

Liz Shirley (adopter of Carrefour)

Well, after an initial in-home separation Diablo & Carrefour were able to smell each other and get used to the scent and idea of another cat. After the vet visit, I started opening the bedroom door for the room in which Carrefour was kept, but left a child gate at the doorway. Carrefour could come out and roam around, but he would still have a space that was "his" and could easily hide from the dogs (little dogs) or Diablo (the other kitty). I was amazed. He was out wandering within 30 mins. And he had completely bonded with Diablo within a weekend. I've never seen two male cats bond that quickly.

Carrefour was around 7 pounds weight, and now he is up to somewhere around 12 pounds. He is a very healthy eater. And, I am ever so glad I got one of those covered litter boxes. He really likes to get in there and throw the litter around. He also prefers to have a bowl to wash his paws off in. He seems to use the cat water dish to wash paws, then goes to drink out of the dog's water dish. He definitely loves water. He loves shredding paper, and jumping into boxes - even boxes that are over a meter tall.

I'm still working on trying to break him of some bad habits, such as nipping/biting people, tearing open people food etc. He gets into the strangest food too, rice and noodles, besides the food one would expect, like beef jerky or tuna. And he absolutely eviscerates (shreds) his toy mice (his "mousey").

It is very hard now to sneak up on him (Carrefour) to take a photo. My regular camera has a red light that seems to be cat-attractive, so as soon as they see me with the camera both cats come towards me. They both snuggle up on the top of their cat tree, and I can't believe they both fit up there on the top level as big as they are getting. I'm sorry the bottom photos are blurry, as the phone camera is not very good, but it seems to not distract them which allows me to actually catch them in some interesting poses. Diablo typically thinks he's the big bad wise older master of the domain, but when someone comes over to visit, Diablo hides under my bed and Carrefour after an initial wary look from some hidden spot, then comes out to inspect the new person. He is very much a people cat.

Carrefour thought the porch was another room behind a door to inspect until he realized there was no ceiling and a whole lot of green stuff down the steps (the lawn grass). Well, I guess all that grass was not at all appealing to him, so he decided he wanted back in the house immediately. I think I won't have many problems with him wanting to sneak out the outside door. I think he thinks it is cold out there and there isn't any sand or what he would look more familiar to him. But, I think he doesn't mind being a traveling cat. I do think even with Diablo around that he still gets some separation anxiety.

He would much rather be the bug killer extraordinaire than be an outdoor or an indoor-outdoor kitty. He jumps so high to catch the moth or odd bug that sneaks in the door way that sometimes I think he might actually reach the ceiling fan. He runs so fast playing with Diablo that I have found paw prints about 2 feet to a meter up the walls going around corners in the hallway where he has used the walls to bank around a turn like a race car. I guess that is so he doesn't have to slow down, and his feet and claws don't have much purchase on the wood floors. He has done some rug surfing like Diablo tends to do... where they run and hop onto a rug that doesn't have a rubber or sticky backing and use it to slide across the wood or tile floors.

The other thing that is very interesting is that Carrefour enjoys watching TV. And I've heard of another fellow who has a Mau that also enjoys watching TV, not only listening to the sound, but actually following objects on the screen. He will sit on the arm of the overstuffed chair or the loveseat sofa and watch a movie with me.

My neighbor and a few other friends are completely enthralled by the Mau now. Partly because he is such a people cat, partly because he has that bit of an exotic look.

More pictures of Carrefour and his cat friends can be viewed HERE.

Pat Iverson (adopter of Tout, renamed Tehuti) Tehuti continues to be an active, amusing, friendly little (or not-so-little) guy. He's about as tall at the shoulder as Sevda is, but much more compact (she's a long slender stretch-limo of a kitty, and he's shorter & solid - I joke about him being Arnold Schwartzenkitten). He cuddles up to everyone in the house - residents or visitors. Sometimes Tehuti cuddles up to the other cats, starts kissing them and then nips them to start a game of tag. He's also an avid fetch player when he feels like it. He survived his first CFA cat show last weekend - a 2 day, 7 ring catshow. He made every final (we don't have to advertise that there were only 7 "household pets" present, including Tehuti, and 10 slots in each final, so that all the household pets made the finals). He was obviously a bit nervous to be out in the open on a judging table, but he wasn't terrified, and he visibly relaxed over the course of the show. He even made 6th place instead of 7th in two of the judging rings, even though he didn't play with the judges' toys the way other, more experienced cats did, but he did give one of the women judges several head bumps.

Carol Anne (adopter of Kiki)
Wanted to let you know I've just arrived back in Midland and got Kiki settled into my bedroom. She is absolutely a beautiful cat. She is relaxed and calm and travels like an old pro - a wonderful disposition. We didn't have any problems finding/meeting with Callie and she said Kiki did very well on her part of the journey, such a nice young lady. I have all paper work, and now just need to let her have time to recover from the trip and get comfortable around here.

A few days later: Kiki is doing well, I woke yesterday to purrs and wet nose kisses and last night we were cheek-to-cheek, with both on our backs... would have made a lovely photograph! This morning, I cracked open the bedroom door; she's starting to show an interest in what goes on in the rest of the house. There was a glaring stand-off with the "herd" for a few moments, and then everyone went their way. Kiki is sweet, loving, gentle, but she does like her own space, so I let her set the pace for our interaction, and she seems very content with that. I'm in and out of the bedroom all day and we have short visits, sometimes she gets up to greet me and sometimes she just raises her head from a nap and gives me a "wink". She's totally exploring the bedroom, checks on me in the shower and is starting to "help" me get ready.

Nicole & Joe (adopters of Dahlia) Nicole and I couldn't be happier with Dahlia. She's cuddly and friendly to everybody, very talkative, catches all of the bugs in the house, stalks the bird feeder and knocks over the pot with the catnip growing in it - she helps herself to the catnip sometimes. We couldn't ask for more. She's awesome. She's a healthy, whiny, curious cat. This morning I had to rescue her because she got herself trapped in a box that I'm not sure she could get back out of on her own. I felt like I was playing marco polo: "Dahlia?" "Meow" Move toward the sound. "Dahlia?" "Meow" Move closer to the sound, and I soon found her purring waiting for me in the box. She's very dog-like, i.e. waits on the sidewalk for us when she hears our cars come home, and comes running in through the door when we stick our head out and yell for her. She's pretty cool. So thanks again for her.

Julie (adopter of Layla)
I got Layla safely. She is adorable! I am just back to the hotel - it took forever to clear customs! She is playing in the room, already ate a huge meal and is very affectionate.
She is really tiny. At the same age, my kittens are double the size! I quickly examined Layla. She looks quite healthy except for the ears; she may have ear mites or some kind of fungal infection, but we will soon take care of it. That's not a big deal.

Now she is just trying to defeat me to walk on my keyboard like it is something very cool to do! She is looking quite good for such a long way here; I was expecting her to look worse. Thanks so much for our new baby girl. She is all I expected her to be. Great thanks to everybody who has been involved with her and her shipping too!

Sherry sent us the following story. We liked it so much we decided to list it here, even though it's not about an EMRO cat. Enjoy!
Here is a great story worth your time to read. We are volunteers at our local shelter and one day I decided to get my teenage daughter a cat of her own. I've held back on countless other homeless animals as we have two special needs dogs already, but my teenager seems to be struggling during this change from child to adult. Well, I have seen this gorgeous cat and held her for a bit. She was one of about 20-30 strays at the shelter. I went home to take my daughter to the shelter to "look". To her surprise there was a kennel with her name on a hot pink piece of paper. She held her and I told her she could look at the others before we took her home. Well she looked and decided that would be her kitty.

I was waiting in the vet office the other day and started browsing through the June issue of Cat Fancy. Lo and behold, there was our cat on one of the pages. I showed it to the vet's wife, who was working the desk, and she stated that she has never heard of one. Apparently, the shelter here has not either. I just think this is amazing, and I'm still in shock. Her name is Echo, but I have suggested several times that we name her after one of the Egyptian goddesses. How is that for a story of a saved nearly extinct cat?

Mike (adopter of Ashley)
Ashley, now Ashes, is doing great. She is very lovable. She loves our son, our dog Szera and our other cat Smokey. She can jump like no cat I've ever seen.

Deonne (adopter of Marmar)
Just wanted to update you on Marmar. She is doing great, has settled into her new home and is peaceful and content. I have attached a picture of her laying on one of her many favorite places, my foot stool. She is so full of love and such a doll. Thank you so much once again for Marmar.

Deonne's report of Marmar's arrival:
Marmar and Faisa have arrived safe and sound. I was a little concerned about Marmar as LA is an hour drive home and Marmar was meowing on the drive home but she soon settled down to the motion of the car and took a nap. She has found her food, water and litter box. Last night she slept on my bed and cuddled up with my toy stuffed husky. She is such a darling and sweet cat. Purrs non stop and follows me where I go and occasionally love nips me on the foot. I have kept her in my bedroom since I brought her home and she is content right where she is.

Erin (adopter of Shadow, now named Doha):
Upon arriving in the US, I discovered that "Shadow" was actually a girl, so I've named her Doha. She's quite content in her new home and loves taking naps in the sun. My roommates adopted a cat while I was in Egypt, so she has a friend Buddha. She was quite skittish at first - she still can be around new people - but she's become quite the little brave adventurer over the past few months.

Spring has definitely sprung in DC, with plenty of insects flying around the house. Doha is quite the little hunter! People are always impressed with her athleticism! She sprints around the house chasing whatever she can - almost always catching it!
I've begun letting her outside in our yard; I got tired of her looking longingly out the window. She's quite curious and loves to smell all the different plants on the lawn.

I love my cat! She's a sweetheart that loves following me around the house. Oh! I almost forgot, her favorite food is fish - she refuses to eat any beef or chicken. I like to joke that it's because she's from Alexandria!

Joe (adopter of MishMush & Sara):
Just wanted to check in and let you know that MishMush and Sara are really happy! They're at my dad's house until I can get a place that will take pets. They have it made there, three floors, toys, heated floorboards, sunny windows, plants (both to chew and to knock over) and lots of visitors who pet thems.

Ismo (adopter of Tristan):
Tristan is very keen on our family. He is a member of our family. In the picture Tristan is with our other cat Batman. They are already friends and good company to each other. Tristan and our dogs have also no troubles.

John (adopter of Elwan):
I've been supervising Elwan's introduction to his new home. Elwan's doing extremely well. He's taken to his new surroundings like a duck takes to water! For the first couple of days he was sticking his nose into EVERYTHING. Shadow (he's my 14 year old cat) intially was a bit of a drama queen, mostly hissing and growling. Elwan was very good about it and things have settled dowm quite a bit. I saw them sleeping together on the couch yesterday.
I took Elwan to the Vet on Monday. He checked out fine. There was some ear mite eggs in his ears though. They did have to sedate him in order to draw a blood sample and micro-chip him. He can be a real handful. He's a very affectionate cat, a real sweetheart. Thanks for taking good care of him and sending him to me.

Ismo (adopter of Tristan):
Tristan is safely here in Rantasalmi with us and everything seems to be going well. He isn't so shy any more as in the first place. He is also eating and drinking quite normally. He is purring us and when he wants more touching he rises up on the rear legs. Also lies on his back. Such a wonderful cat he is. Keep on the good work!

Sara (adopter of Yonni):
Yonni is a sweet cat and just about as nice as they come, Thanks!

Rachael (adopter of Dahlia):
Dahlia continues to do exceptionally well. My son (3 years old) runs around the house with a string behind him, and she chases him. There is a lot of thudding of feet, and wild laughing from my son. He enjoys her so much, and she tolerates him past what we'd ever expect. He's good with her, but he's still kind of loud sometimes and shrieks with laughter, and she is unfazed. She's a great lap kitty, and also enjoys sleeping in the paper recycling box. By today, I'd say she looks comfortable almost all the time. Every once in a while the dogs make her nervous, but she is pretty good with them, too, as you can see from the photo I took today. The five of us continue to sleep on the bed together at night. (me, husband, two dogs, kitty) This is only her third day in the house, so this progress is just great. Even yesterday she seemed very comfortable. She hasn't scratched any furniture and is perfect with the litter box. We'll take her to the vet soon, to get any shots they like that she might not have, and to get her micro-chipped. I didn't want to do that first thing when she got here, as it might stress her out. I'm really looking forward to getting to know her better. She already shows an amazing amount of personality for someone that we've known for 3 days. My experience with dogs is that you don't really start to know them until they've been with you about 3 weeks, and in some ways, not for about six months. So, I'm guessing there's much more to her, but she is already delightful in every way. My husband is delighted to have a cat, especially this one. He says it feels so much nicer to have a cat along with the dogs. My son is thrilled to have a friend that weighs less than him, doesn't crash into him, doesn't thwap him in the face with her tail, and doesn't sit on or step on his toys. Our Labs are a little graceless, although wonderful girls and very good hearted.

G.S. (adopter of Luli):
Luli has arrived and is well. He was quite vocal at times during the 2.5 hour drive from Los Angeles to San Diego, but I was able to comfort him by either speaking soothingly, singing, or by placing a hand near the "window" of the carrier. Luli would sniff my hand anytime I placed it on the carrier, which I considered to be a good indication that he was not afraid of me. Upon arrival at home I had to temporarily isolate Luli from the other two cats by placing him in the upstairs bathroom/dressing room. I made food/water, toys, and litter box available to him there. At this point I had to go pick up my daughter, Selena, from her mother's home. I told Selena that her super-special Christmas present was waiting for her at home and because the Christmas plans had changed a bit, she wouldn't have to wait until Christmas Morning.

I instructed her that there would be no touching/holding, no loud noises, and no sudden movements...needless to say, Selena was rather puzzled by this. I lead her into the room with her eyes closed and then had her open her eyes. Initially she appeared to be confused, but as soon as she laid eyes on Luli she brightened up like the sun cresting the horizon on a beautiful new day. Selena helped me to prepare the guest room so that it would be safe for him and over the next couple of days, we would spend more and more time just sitting in the room with him and talking to him. He was quite thorough in his inspection and exploration of that room.
He would occasionally vocalize as though he were calling out to other cats hoping to hear familiar voices in response...I could tell that he missed his previous home. [The guest room, wherein lie his pet carrier to which I've added a sleeping pad, litter pan, food dish and some toys, will continue to be available to him as long as he continues to have a need for it, such need demonstrated by retreating to the carrier to sleep at night]. After a couple of days, the door to the room was left open so that he could explore the rest of the house as he saw fit. Sunday the 24'th was the first day that he had full access to the entire house, and he spent the day thoroughly exploring the entire house. It wasn't long before he ran into the other two feline residents.

Brutus [22lb male black longhair] is curious about Luli and appears to be not the least bit hostile toward him. Butterfly [13lb female tortiseshell calico) on the other hand wants nothing to do with the lanky interloper [typical of her, actually, she does the same thing to Brutus for a week or so every summer when I have him shaved]. Selena and Luli have taken an immediate shine to one another. In fact, he has nuzzled up against her hand on multiple occasions and he's allowed himself to be petted by her at least twice.
He's also nuzzled up against my hand not ten minutes ago. He is playful and is not afraid to vocalize when he wants some attention. I've noticed him following Selena around from time to time... Luli really seems to have made himself quite at home here. Selena adores him and I find him to be a delightful addition to our family. Thank you very much for everything you have done to make this happen for us. Please find attached some of the photos that I have taken over the last couple of days.

Celeste (adopter of Nivene):
Nivene arrived in Boston on Saturday and after a crazy time in the international terminal, I was able to connect with the escort Christine Carriere. She is a delightful young woman and reported having a very good trip with Nivene. We arrived home in Maine about 7pm EST. As soon as she emerged from her crate, she was purring and cuddling up to me. She is an amazingly affectionate girl and is enjoying playing with all of the Christmas toys my friends and relatives have sent in anticipation of her arrival. There have been no problems with the dog and she and the other cat will work out their heirarchical differences soon I am sure. Thank you so much. I know this was an excruciatingly long process, but she is the best Christmas present I have ever received! I hope to send pictures soon.

Judith and Edward (adopters of Socrat):
The beautiful blue Socrat with gorgeous green gooseberry eyes arrived at Logan airport showing no untoward effects from his 18-hour plane ride. We do think he was a bit tired of being cooped up, however; he jumped quickly from his carrier, ready to drink and eat as soon as we were willing to feed him, and he was more than eager to use the kitty box! He has been using his travel carrier voluntarily as his den ever since he arrived. He will not accept being put into it by us, which (in addition to a sixth sense regarding appointment days leads to his complete disappearance) has caused to miss two trips to the vet for his initial physical exam; unfortunately that also means that he has no met any of his Mau-mates yet. He has met our three dogs and quelled all three with one look! They keep their distance. We hope that will change once he sees that Anwar and Dani treat them as rather loud, unruly, overgrown cats. He is especially fond of Edward and comes running to him as soon as he hears the door opening, purring, rubbing against his legs, and, of course, “mau-ing”. He does not yet want to be picked up, but gives tiny nose kisses when he is at face level with a human. Basically, I would say he is a happy, well-adjusted Mau who “marches to his own drummer”! I’m hoping he will eventually also find me acceptable. Ann and I agree that it may be related to his favorite female placing him on a horrid airplane and leaving him there for far too long! Once he recovers from this “betrayal” he may well come around and accept me too. In the meantime, interacting with one new human is totally acceptable progress at this point. He is an adult after all, not a kitten like the other two. Socrat has seen the world and knows enough to be wary of it, sophisticated gentleman that he is. The kittens continue to thrive and play and EAT! The dogs worry constantly about their love of high places (so do we when they decide to come crashing down!) and really want to mother them. Like two-year-olds Anwar and Dani are convinced that they are ready to control the world with no help or advice. The most common words spoken in the house has become, “Now what?” I hope you will convey to the workers at the Shelter what wonderful work they do in their daily care of these cats and how much we appreciate it. The cats are so well socialized, accepting, trusting, and friendly. I cannot imagine how the workers manage to do this when they are dealing with so many cats, but it is as if each has been brought up by loving individuals in a family. Our lives are much enriched by their arrival of all three Maus who warm our hearts with their loving, free spirits. Thank you, all.

Helen and Chris (adopters of Nasser [now 'Bazzie']):
...Nivene truly had a most extrodinary litter and bazra is the most exceptional animal i have ever owned and i cannot tell how happy he is and dreadfully he is spoiled. he is king of his home and has all his siblings compeletly under his rule. if you like i can send you more photos, since all we do is take his eminece's photo (no-one photographs better than bazzie) he really is the prince of las vegas, a title he was obviously born to! all my friends are completely in-love with him and the story of his journey here to "sin city" has become legend here. how wonderful is fate, no?

Linda (adopter of Mr. Giggles):
Thank you for all your help and e-mails. Here's an update re Mr. Giggles and his adoption thru Kitten Rescue. Thank you for all your support during a difficult decision.
Sandy and family

Note to previous owner from the shelter called "Kitten Rescue" in California: Yes, he did get a wonderful home with a couple in their early fifties who adopted from me this year. Unfortunately that kitten died from FIP at 10 months old; 3 months after they adopted him. They spent $5,000 trying to save him. I inquired if they wanted to meet Mau Mau (that's what I named him on Petfinder) to keep company with their other kitten. They fell in love with him right away. They had a brand new bed and new toys for him the day I arrived. Their kitten gave him quite a bad time but he didn't really take any notice and kept trying to make friends. He slept with Gary and Lynn almost right away and had the run of the house. He and the kitten did make friends pretty quickly. He's great with their grandchildren too. There is no doubt they will keep him forever and take good care of him. They don't let their cats outside and take them to the vet regularly. If they send pictures, I'll forward them on to you.

Susan & Peter (adopters of Tasnima, now 'Emma'):
Just wanted to drop you a note to tell you how well our little Emma is doing. I'm so glad we decided she was the one! As you know, I had some concerns that she was too untame, but what a change! It's been only a few days since we brought her home and already she's sitting in my lap, purring away without a care! We're so pleased she's joined our family. Emma's doing great. She's incredibly smart and very affectionate. Already, she comes when I call her. Her head perks up when she hears my voice. It's as though she understands every word. She sat in my lap purring for a good 1/2 hr last night, which is surprising for a kitten of her age. Many thanks again to you and EMRO for saving these wonderful creatures.

Nanette (adopter of Faisa):
Let me first start off by reassuring you that Faisa is soooo happy! It has not been all fun however, due to the fact that she was very sick when we got her. It may have been the stress of the flight and move flaring up a prior sickness, but when she arrived she was sneezing and very congested. Since I have been home a lot this year due to my studies, I was the first to notice it. Unfortunately it was passed on to our little Frankie, and hit him worse since he was strictly a house cat and had never been sick. He ended up with a very high fever and had to be taken for help right away. In the end it all was nothing too tragic though! After a few vet visits all was well. I do have to say though, it was incredibly interesting giving two cats, with paws full of claws, a total of 5 medications 2 times a day!! hehe but I know they appreciated everything once they began to feel better. :)

On to the good news again! Faisa has completely become part of the family. She is a complete lap kitten. She always sits with me on the couch while I type papers on my laptop, or watch TV (she watches TV too! primarily the big cat shows they have on the Discovery Channel). Daniel plays with her with one of the many cat toys we have, running up and down the stairs while she chases him trying to get the feather at the end of the string. After all of the store bought toys we purchased for the cats, we were surprised to find out what Faisa's favorite toy was. We get the morning paper (it is held together by a rubber band) and sometimes it is left on the floor. Not before long we would see her fly across the tile, jump in the air, wiggle her little butt and race back across the room. All that excitement was just for a little rubber band. She loves them!! As for Faisa and Frankie, they are two peas in a pod. They take naps together everyday and sometimes just lay and lick each other. They both are a handful though! Hahah Daniel and I have agreed that they are good practice for when we are married and have children. However, it is never anything that a time out in the dreaded bathroom can't fix. They both hate it! If one does something really naughty he gets put in time out. Its a lovely bathroom with cushioned rugs and cool tile, but its the separation they cant handle! If one is in time out, the other will lay outside the door sticking his/her paws under to get a feel for his friend until the other is let out (mostly just enough time for me to clean up what he/she has dumped over ). Once the captive has been freed, the two will just run off together in a whirl of play. Even when speaking of them being naughty though, I cant help but smile and laugh at their mischievous ways. We both love them dearly and miss them when we are apart. Thank you so much for finding our Faisa and sending her to us. We adore her. I have enclosed a few pictures for you to see :)

Judith & Edward (adopters of Anwar and Dani):
We're definitely recovering, especially the two little ones although they're still very quiet. They are delighted when we come in to see them and provide a living, breathing, loving jungle gym for them to play on! Yesterday, our dog Sophie barged in and met Dani. So much for a gradual, planned introduction. They touched noses and everything was fine until Sophie invited Dani to play -- the movement we call Flop-Flop: the nose goes down in a submissive position repeatedly with the rear end in the air and the tail waving madly. Dani wasn't interested at all -- at all! But it wasn't a negative meeting, just a matter of communication. Anwar looked on, but didn't come forward. He has been so dignified so far, but not distant. Sophie went in again today when we fed them and both let her know with polite little growls that there would be NO sharing of food, which is good. I'm glad that though they have had no experience with dogs before they are not at all intimidated by them. They have been playing with the toys and Anwar loves most the little mice you sent with them. Running up and down the scratching post is another fun game and Anwar loves to go in Dani's travel bag and peer out the other end at us as if playing peek-a-boo. They're very enthusiastic about Science Diet Kitten food and keep trading bowls just to make sure the other doesn't have a better version, I guess. I am so glad we adopted two at the same time. I think a single would have been very lonely after they had lived in the shelter and are now in a very different type of environment. If people are willing and able to do so, I would suggest that potential adopters consider it. Many of the shelters here now require adopting in pairs if there is not already a cat in the home. You cannot imagine how grateful we are to you for all of your incredibly hard work and persistence. Making travel arrangements like these would obviously tax the abilities and energies of any ordinary travel agent. The kittens are wonderful, beautiful, adorable -- they couldn't be nicer and we are so lucky to have them. Thank you again for what you have given us.

Natalie and Jon (adopters of Abu):
Abu has done more than settled in, let me tell you. When we first got home he hid under the sofa for about an hour and then just like a light switch he was out. Purring and cuddling and VERY very talkative. He is completely comfortable everywhere in the house already and has found his own little spot on the couch. We will be sure to send you pictures as soon as possible! Thanks again for Abu...he is everything we wanted and more.

Helen & Chris (adopters of Nasser):
He really is a wonder, completely fearless and bold, incredibly affectionate and social and just the most perfect pet one could wish for. He has given us such joy and is so happy in his new home and his new siblings. I am attaching some photos to show you how well he is, including my personal favorite which i think you will find amusing. The little man never stops kissing me, actually it is his preferred mode of waking me up at 4:30 am! But how can you be angry at such an adorable guy? You can't that's all. We very very much hope that we can adopt another kitten before too long and will have a long enduring relationship with you and EMRO. God bless you everyday for providing us with such happiness.

Deb (adopter of Nasseem, Eva and Possum):
The cats fit in just great. All three slept with me on the bed and they love their new cat tree post by the big window. It's fun having them around. They are eating very well & purring all the time. Nasseem is quite the curious one, he love attention which he is getting plenty of! I am going to let Eva
settle in and take her to my vet in a few days. I will keep you posted. Please tell everyone the cats are doing great in their new home. Thank you once again. Eva and Possum really like being together, and Naseem is a clown and loves to play with everyone. I let the cats explore where ever they want now. Slowly Eva and Possum are coming out of the big bedroom. They are quite lovable.

Jennifer (adopter of Lion):
I love Lion! She is the sweetest cat I have ever met. She had no problem with jumping up in bed and sleeping with me the first night she was there. She has such a good personality. Not very often you see that. She is friendly and sweet. She's trying to be friends with the cat that have now, but I think that it's going to take some time for my Cleo to accept it. She hasn't been too happy, lol. But, Lion is being very good with her and I know that everything will smooth over shortly. I couldn't have asked for more! Gail [pet escort] was a pleasure and everything went great. I'm so happy! Thank you for everything! I'm so lucky to have such an incredible animal become a new member of the family. She acts as if she's known me since she was a kitten and it's only been 2 days. She loves to play and she loves to sit in your lap and cuddle. She's incredible! I'll send pictures soon.

Gail (pet escort for Lion):
Lion is the most wonderful cat I have ever met and I told Jennifer how lucky she is. Everyone that has met her has fallen in love with her and wants to adopt a mau. The plane ride was great. She slept the entire time and was very calm. She is eating very well, very happy and lovable. I will email you after I drop Lion off. Transition was great. Everyone fell in love with the cat and she travelled well to NJ. She was picked up last night and Jennifer was very happy. Several people here are now interested in adopting Maus. My father is a contributer to several newspapers in the area and he is writing an article on EMRO and about Lion and I passed out the brochures to some doctors and veterinarians that are interested in Maus.

Steph (future Mau adopter):
I'm so excited at the possibility of adopting another Mau. My beloved Sam made me fall in love with the Mau breed. They are such wonderful, awesome cats! Their personalities are unique; friendly and loveable, sometimes a bit shy. Sam was very protective of me. He would sit and guard the bathroom door while I was in the shower every day! He was quite funny. He was always waiting at the door when I got home from work, like a little dog. He really was my best buddy. I miss him a great deal.

S.R. Lista (owner of Theba):
If you'd like to read an interesting story, I have one you'll appreciate. I've owned dogs all of my life, even today, but eight years ago a Mau showed up at my door and my dogs adopted her (or so you might think). According to my Vet, Theba was pure Silver Spotted Mau. Although Theba died from cancer early this year (2006), she actually ran my household. Theba slept with my Labradors; ate with the Labradors (her own food); and, Theba played with my Labradors. God help anyone who tried to hurt my female Labrador 'Sandy," because Theba would attack and scratch that person so bad that you'd think they were attacked by a wildcat. When Theba died, and I had her cremated (the ashes are in a wooden urn next to where my Labradors sleep), you would think it was the end of the world. My Labradors lay by the ashes every day and you sometimes hear them whimper, because they truly miss Theba.
Wherever I went in my home, Theba was there. She laid on top of my computer monitor when I did my research, or laid on my lap when I watched television. Theba was my constant companion (friends of mine, cat lovers, would say that Theba appreciated my saving her and she became devoted to me). My friends were surprised that I could easily call Theba and she responded exactly like my Murphy and Sandy. When contractors were building near my home, nearly every home in the neighborhood was plagued by field mice, except mine. Theba was a tremendous hunter and caught everything from mice to insects. People were always surprised when I took Sandy to the Vet, because I also had to take Theba. herever Sandy went, Theba had to attend. It was as though Sandy and Murphy were Theba's pets and I just provided their care, food, and love. Sandy and Murphy loved Theba so much that since she died, they now sleep alongside her urn.

Daniel (adopter of Faisa):
Faisa is doing great. She is adapting well to the house and to the other cat, Frankie. They are not best friends yet, but appear to be on the right track. As soon as I get good pictures of them, I will email them to you. Once again, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to adopt Faisa. I'll keep you updated on how things are going.

Jessie (adopter of Hamsa and Samir):
Hi! i just wanted to let you know that miss Hamsa and little Samir arrived this afternoon. They are so beautiful and precious!! Everything went very smoothly, and i am very
appreciative to Toni St. John for bringing these little darlings on such a long journey. Hamsa and Samir seemed to get along just fine in the same carrier. in fact, i think it was
probably good for them to have each other for such an adventurous experience and they seem to be good buddies now :) They are settling in just great here! at first they were
hesitant and checking it all out, but now they are rolling, jumping, and playing! They are both eating and drinking well, and making good use of the litter box. I have scheduled a
veterinarian appointment for them on Saturday morning, so i am looking forward to getting them all checked out. i have talked to my mom about their grand arrival and she is jealous
that she can't be here yet. She is very excited! I want to thank you and Gloria again for all your time and effort in seeing these adoptions through! Your assistance and caring is much appreciated! Also, please keep me posted about Dalia and Donya! I will also keep you updated about Samir as time goes along. I am so thrilled to have him, he is so dorable
and spunky! We'll be in touch!

Yvonne (adopter of Fifa):
Kathleen arrived with Fifa and after going through customs handed Fifa over to me. She said Fifa was an excellent traveler and it was an enjoyable experience for her. I have her address so will keep her updated as to Fifa well-being. My return flight to Houston was delayed due to weather and machinery problems; my flight arrived in Houston about 1:30 AM and we arrived home at 4:00AM. Fifa slept and I was delighted to see she is such a good traveler in the car as well. Fifa slept next to me last night as she was somewhat apprehensive and curious concerning her new surroundings. After exploring my bedroom, she settled down next to me and slept like a log (as did I), until the phone rang this morning with a call from Janet inquiring about her. Our other animals are still at my youngest daughter's home and I will get them later today. Fifa is in my studio with me. She has eaten tuna this morning as she must not be familiar with dry catfood. She will learn to eat the dry catfood as I cannot leave wet food out. After a week or so when she is over her jet lag and more familiar ith her new home, Fifa will start fitting into our routine. The pictures I've sent show Fifa in my studio where she will spend the week. She is a beautiful Mau with a calm temperament. This has been a excellent learning experience as how to assist a heroic effort to save one noble species of God's creation. God saw that his creation was good and so does EMRO!

Ann (adopter of Jerry, Filfilla and Socrat):

Jerry
Just before Christmas 2005 I visited one of the local animal shelters in Cairo and instantly fell in love with this gorgeous silver Mau. At the time of my visit he was taking a little nap so I decided not to disturb his sleep, yet as I was heading for the front door he came up to me and instantly jumped onto my shoulder for a ride. I took him home the next day and he quickly made his presence felt. Jerry is the sweetest cat ever, yet he can be very shy. Jerry is loyal to me: he waits for me at the door when I come home, he loves to cuddle up in bed and every morning he guards my bathroom door, come what may. At night he keeps himself occupied by opening all my kitchen cabinets, no doubt he's in search for more food, this cat loves his food! I adore Maus for their intelligence and sociable character; the fact that they can be shy at times only adds to their charm.

Filfilla
After a few months I started thinking about getting a 'roommate' for Jerry, I went back to the shelter and adopted Filfilla, a sweet bronze Mau and a real girlie. It certainly wasn't love at first sight between those two and for the first week or so things were rather tense at home. Filfilla is opinionated and she definitely has attitude, so she stood her
ground and quickly became the queen of the house. Jerry and Filfilla made up and ever since they became a bit of an item. It's fun to watch them play together or just hanging out together. In a nutshell, it is a match made in heaven!

Socrat
The newest arrival in my cat family is Socrat (there is debate as to his breed), he is very sweet and continuously gets himself into all sorts of mischief and trouble, including an escape from the house which left him on the streets of Cairo for just over a week. Luckily we managed to trap him and he's now back at home safe and sound. Socrat is still trying to find his way around Jerry & Filfilla, occasionally I have to take on the role of peace keeper, but given time I am sure Socrat will carve out his own niche!

The Luckiest Cat in the World by Eve
Isis looked like an ordinary shorthair cat roaming the streets of Cairo, Egypt. Felines were treated as sacred in ancient times, but that was long ago. Now she was just another underfed stray hiding under a car. When the vehicle pulled away the skin was torn from her back. She would have died of her injuries had she not been spotted by Suzy Tawfik, an Egyptian humanitarian. Suzy picked up Isis and brought her
to my apartment. I was a Fulbright Fellow at the faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Cairo University. With the expert help of my colleague and friend Dr Hendrikje Roeder, a German veterinarian we managed to clean Isis up and bandage her wounds. To keep her from biting her bandages we placed a cone of cardboard around her neck like an Elizabethan collar. Our homemade device made Isis look like she was pretending to be a daisy in a school play but she tolerated it and her wounds healed rapidly. As soon as she was healthy she went looking for trouble. Isis has a habit of investigating things too closely. One day she got out on the patio and leaned over for a good look. I don't know when she fell off but as soon as I missed her I searched everywhere. Finally I went to my first floor neighbor to see if Isis had fallen two floors into her garden. We opened the door and there she was with a stiff front leg and a bloody nose but no major
injuries. If she had fallen out the window on the other side of the building she would have dropped five floors to the street and probably died... instead, she got a ticket to California with seven of her nine lives. I would also add that Isis is lame. I think she had a major injury sometime in the past to her left hind leg and she limps on that side. I guess that means she only has six lives left to spare!