Baby Betty
Dave and Lisa decided to start their involvement by sponsoring a cat named Maya. Sponsoring is a wonderful way to help the shelter with ongoing costs and it also provides a deep connection between you and the current cats available for adoption. Their connection seemed instantaneous not only with Maya but with what they say are “awesome and very dedicated volunteers”.
Maya seemed to steal their hearts and ended up becoming their first adoption through SHP. Their involvement in the shelter manifested into a variety of activities. Dave and Lisa started working open house days, donating food and supplies and continuing their sponsorships. Their family had grown to 5 crazy cats named Isaiah, Iago Diago, Cindy, Maxwell and Maya. But little did they know they would soon have 6 cats, a number they had never attained before! A special needs cat named Betty Boop soon greeted them late in 2009. She wasn’t doing so well and they ended up committing to adopting her with the intention of providing her with hospice care until she would leave them for the Rainbow Bridge. 
In the beginning they admit it was difficult. “It was hard emotionally the first few days to see her struggle to breathe and eat” said Lisa. But being dedicated souls they forged on giving Betty Boop everything she needed. They continued her vet care that included a newly approved antibiotic, the famous Viralys (nutritional supplement) and a prescription diet. Miraculously within a few days Betty was slowly turning into a different cat, one with energy “a cat with Cat-attude and is full of vim and vigor” said Lisa. They were astonished.
Betty Boop is now an official member of Dave and Lisa’s family and they believe she truly is a miracle. We asked them what they wanted people to know or learn from Betty and this is their response: “Special needs cats are very rewarding to adopt. They need a loving home sometimes for the first time in their lives. “Special needs” covers a wide gamut of things. Many strays for example have been traumatized by neglect and the abuses of the outdoor world. All of our cats have had some trauma to different degrees, Lago severely. It has been a privilege to see each one of them blossom and learn that humans are good and fun to be around. We wouldn’t trade any of them. Please consider a special needs cat or kitten, they give back!”
Dave & Lisa currently remain active volunteers of SHP. Dave is a computer analyst, singer and plays bass guitar. Lisa is a disabled ICU nurse who volunteers as a nurse at the Bay View Open Free Clinic on Wednesday evenings. Lisa loves to read and strongly recommends “ Homer’s Oddysey”, a story of an awesome special needs cat that is sure to give you a heartwarming and funny read. This page turner “kept me up past 3am more than a few nights in a row” according to Lisa. 
And who is Betty Boop these days? Well she’s not the cat they first met last year and it’s all for the better. Betty has acquired a few nicknames like “squirrel and dervish”. According to Dave and Lisa, she runs around like a dervish and spins in tight circles around her food bowl anticipating her next meal. Unconfirmed, we have a suspicion Dave’s techy side probably gave her the dervish nickname, but that’s just a guilding guess. Lisa says she’s “ultra cute” as she doesn’t really meow, she more or less hums when she wants something.
We couldn’t agree more with them on the “ultra cute” and are more than grateful for volunteers like Dave & Lisa, who dedicate time and energy to these furry souls. Providing these cats with a good life is what we think they all deserve and a sign that dedication and love is a beautiful miracle in itself.
Like most dads, Dave plays Santa for his little girl
