I'm Smudgy a.k.a. the Peruvian princess. I was the fifth adoption from Catmandu, way back in 2014. My mom was the first Catmandu cat. She broke into the building shortly after it was originally rented, made herself at home and helped with the initial remodel of Catmandu. I am very spoiled and living my best life. I have a cat tower that goes all the way to the ceiling, lots of toys, several windows that I can look out and bathe in the sun. My favorite treat is freeze dried minnows. I live with my human grandpa since my mom moved to Hawaii. He thinks he's in charge, but in reality I'm the one that runs the house.

I adopted a 10 year old senior cat named Willow from you in 2015. She is now a VERY senior cat at age 19. Willow is very healthy looking, she doesn’t look her age but she is starting to slow down a bit. She doesn’t always want to jump up on her cat tree to eat, so I lift her up. I was cleaning my inside oven door when I turned away and came back to her sitting inside the oven looking cute. She’s very special to me.

In 2016 our house became very empty following the loss of our last kitty. We had not had kittens since the 1990s so we thought it would be fun to adopt a couple of kittens. When we were ready, we went to Catmandu to check out their kittens. We each picked out a kitten. Mike chose the runt of the litter, Dusty. I chose her sister, Ginger. The entire time that we were checking out the kittens there was one kitten that was crying and climbing the cage begging for attention. We asked Linda what the story was with that one and she told us that he was the last of his litter. He made it very evident that he needed to go home with us. The problem was we only had only brought enough money with us to adopt two kittens. We gave Linda an IOU for Hugo’s adoption fees and that is how we came to be the happy parents of three wonderful Catmandu fur babies. It has been one adventure after another with our three fur babies. They go with us to Arizona every winter and have become experienced travelers. They have brought so much joy into our lives. We are so grateful to Catmandu making it all happen.

Rufus (short-hair, right) adopted me from NHS Carson in November 2012. He is an introvert and Arlene (Catmandu, December 2016) volunteered to live with us to “give him something to think about.” This is a rare moment when Rufus is comfortable in Arlene’s company.

Samson has clearly taken over management of my house. He and I are the only ones here. He has me well trained – I know when he wants to be fed; when he wants attention and when he wants to be left alone. He always comes around and reminds me when it’s time to go to bed. He is so friendly with everyone who comes to visit. He greets them and lets them pet him. He is also very good at helping me as you can see from these pictures. I am so glad I found him at Catmandu.

When I came to Catmandu to write a story for Carson Now, I had no intention of adopting a cat. In fact, I’d never even owned a cat before as I was horribly allergic to them my entire childhood! However, while I was taking pictures of the kittens, a scruffy little black thing began screaming at me from a different cage. I was petting and holding other kittens, which she seemed personally offended by. When I finally went in and picked her up, she melted in my hands, and I knew we were meant to be! Later that evening when I came to get her, the Catmandu staff member said she had been sitting next to the door for hours as if waiting for something, and had even refused to eat her dinner. Now, almost six years later, Winona Ryder (aka Nona or Noni Bologna) is the ruler of our house. She loves taunting our dogs and terrorizing her cat brother, but she never gets in trouble because she’s spoiled rotten.

Here's a little collage of Luke and his progress over the years. You would not believe he was that scaredy kitty with all of the sickness in the beginning. He still has seizures now and then. He is now 10 years old and is everyone's sweetie. He comes to me all the time now and sleeps on me and has been giving sweet little stinky kisses. He even lets the children pet him. I thought he would get depressed after Harry passed but instead he has become my baby. Thank you for my boy 💚

I adopted Pumpkin (formly known as Piper) during the Maddie's adoption days in 2018 ( I think that's what it was called). He was born early September. I adopted him as a kitten. His mom was adopted before him and some of his siblings. I lived in Fallon when I adopted him. I used to drive back and forth to get his first shots and neuter. He was a baby when I brought him home. Pumpkin is still a cuddle bug. I've always been his favorite human. He's living the good life with his sister, Maggie (dog) in California now. We love Pumpkin so much and couldn't imagine life without him. Best decision ever was adopting him.

I met my beloved Edward Romeo, or Eddie as he is called, on August 19, 2018, when he was four months old. I had come to Catmandu to drop off several feral kittens I had found. Linda was kind enough to take the kittens in and care for them until they were old enough to be adopted. On my way out of Catmandu, I stopped by the kitten room. I wasn't looking for another kitten or cat, but I sat down and waited to see who would come to me. A few minutes later, a black kitten got into my lap and then crawled into my arms. That was it. My heart was stolen in an instant. Edward was originally named Lucas, and he had been rescued from quite a dire situation where he and his siblings and other kittens were being used as training bait for hunting dogs. The rescuers brought the kittens to Catmandu, and along with Eddie, I met his brother Lefty. He was also black. Lefty was adopted the same day I adopted Eddie. Both boys were extremely lucky kitties, and had it not been for Catmandu, their stories could have had very different endings. Incidentally, Eddie is an extremely good cat, and he's very spoiled and so loved. He sleeps cuddled up with me every night and follows me from room to room, never wanting to be too far away

In 2017 I was looking for a calico to add to the family. She came right up to me in the office of Catmandu and asked to go home with me. Dottie was just a year old, but she had already been a mom and raised 5 kittens. She fit right in at home with my two male kitties, one of which cleans her ears regularly. She loves being outside in the summer evenings on my fenced-in covered catio/porch. She is a regular hidey cat now and no one has ever seen her but me. Lately she has learned to pull out the drawers under my bed and sleep the day away amongst my winter hats. Dottie loves being petted and brushed and purrs loudly. She is happy.

In 2019 I was looking for a female with orange coloring. Claire was at Catmandu looking for a home. She had just raised 4 kittens and was pretty skinny and about a year old. We met, fell in love and went home together. I renamed her Mimi. She is a beautiful girl with amber eyes and very thick fur that she loves having brushed all year long. She does not get along with an older male cat even though they have known each other for 5 years. Mimi is not afraid of visitors and noises. While the other cats run and hide when someone comes in she runs to the catio/porch to see who it is. While I have never heard a peep out of her during the day, she makes noises at night when the other cats are on my bed. Silly girl!

We adopted Marty after getting to know him 3 days a week for 2 months. We took him home on December 9th, 2019. He was happy to have his own place, being a solitary cat at heart. After letting us pet him at Catmandu and apparently enjoying it immensely, he wouldn't let us touch him at home for 5 months. Then one magical day we were able to pet him again, then it snowballed into curling up on the couch between us. Then a paw gingerly touching a thigh and then jumping onto and curling up on a lap. Then it was sleeping with us, tucking behind knees and curling up with his head next to ours. Marty is the sweetest sensitive soul and brings joy to us every day, four years now and seven years old. Many blessings to foster mom Jeanine who literally gave Marty a life as it was touch and go as to whether he would even survive as the only surviving kitten of a litter killed by some predator. And of course many blessings to Linda and crew for doing what they do.

Toby has become quite the celebrity. He is a two time regional winner in TICA, finished all titles in TICA and took on LCWW where he got to do even more as an educational kitty,earning all his titles and more. He won 20th best Household Pet Adult in the US this year. With owner Daryl Frazetti, he makes numerous public appearances, including parades, TV, education, and visiting seniors. He just loves everyone! His tricks these days include: high 5 , ringing the bell... that has become his voice. He uses the bells ( one in each room and one for travel) to communicate, does agility with numerous obstacles and did one TV show for America's Pet Games two years ago, He knows how to pick where a treat is too if you do it in closed fists or cups like a shell game. Loves his wheel - super active and very sweet ! I am glad every day he is here ! Fred has become reliant upon him as well for security.

Herbie the Love Bug...I had just started as a volunteer at Catmandu when Herbie arrived. Love at first sight. I came to see him as often as I could and when he came out of quarantine he came home with me (adopted 7/17/2019). He loved gnawing on toes through bed covers and went crazy with water bottle caps- could have won the Stanley Cup! He flew onto counter tops like one of the Flying Wallendas. We miss him and send a donation in his memory.

Orphaned when her owner died, Abbi was a new mom with 5 kittens. She went to Linda Miner for fostering in May 2020 and never left. The other kittens found homes, but her daughter Chuk stayed as well. They are happy foster fails, living the good life as well-loved and thoroughly spoiled housecats.

I adopted Sookie from Catmandu June 14, 2020 at age 9 months. She's my one and only because she won't allow any others in her house. She's 4 years old now and very spoiled. Her favorite things are watching the birds outside from inside the house, chasing buggies and leaves from inside the house, playing chase with her mommy, her laser, eating lots of treats, making lots of biscuits, and snuggling with her mommy. She's smart, silly, chatty, a great supervisor and inspector, really soft, and stinkin adorable! She's the love of my life! I thank everyone at Catmandu for everything they do for the kitties! Happy 10th anniversary!

Jackson was very timid when he first came to live with us. It took him several weeks to really come out of his "beginner" room to join the family. As it turned out, he is quite photogenic. This photo is Jackson, king of the house and not afraid of anything.

Romeo joined our family in the spring of 2021, after an older cat we had passed away. We called Catmandu asking if they had a lap cat, and immediately they said ‘Meo!’. We were told Meo was a senior kitty (8 years old) who was very friendly- but only after he warms up to you. We met him and took him home. After being renamed Romeo (because he’s a Lover!), he settled in well with our other two cats. Romeo even became a traveling cat when we had to move to Houston for 6 months in late 2021, so he was able to call himself a Texan kitty for a short time. Now back in South Lake Tahoe, he enjoys sitting in the sun, chin rubs, sitting on laps, watching birds out the windows, and sleeping in the crook of my arm. He especially enjoys warm days when he can sit outside on our elevated deck and enjoy the Lake Tahoe sunshine. Romeo is the BEST cat, and we thank Catmandu for rescuing him from a tough situation and caring for him until he found his furever home.

This is Ginger, formerly known as Denzel. We brought this sweet boy home on 06-19-2021. He’s the sweetest guy who makes friends with everyone and shares a pillow with my youngest child.

After Herbie went to the Rainbow Bridge, we brought Smokey, formerly known as Gabby, into our home as a Senior 2 Senior Foster. That was in July 2021. It was definitely a mutual rescue. He did NOT like other cats and was struggling at Catmandu. We had a big hole in our hearts and our home from losing Herbie. Smokey had a few stubborn spots of ringworm but his uncle step-daddy Rob helped give him back a healthy coat and a happy disposition. These days after we've turned out the lights for the night he'll yowl from the other side of the house with a toy at his feet. Yep, last call for running through the tunnel. We love him so much! Thank you Linda.

Luigi (gray and white) and Contessa (black and white) were adopted August 21, 2020. They are doing very well. Luigi is totally handsome, an outrageous flirt and the more sociable of the two! Contessa is in to everything and comes for the occasional cuddle. They play together, they sleep together and they get along with our senior girl, Miss Kitty. Thank you, Catmandu

Cloudy was adopted by the Clough family, owners of the Gold Hill Hotel. " He loves his life as the resident cat. Here is a recent picture of him on ghost tour. It’s his favorite Night. He attends all the ghost tours and spends many nights in strangers’ rooms (We joke he is a little slut)"

Charlie is quite comfortable and much loved. He is a very independent boy with a unique personality that we love. He is best friends with our German shepherd and pretty much thinks he is a dog himself.

Ilean aka Leanie is a huge cuddle bug. She loves giving great big hugs while getting head and chin scratchies, which I call knuckle sandwiches. Our days include bird watching, biscuit making, and parkour. We are in love and happy to spend our lives together.

Orangie and his human Judith now live in Tacoma, WA. Judith writes "He seems very happy here. The house has two stories, so he had to become familiar with stairs. We have a great time here. He has places to sleep and hide if he wants to. His food dish is always full and we do a special treat ritual each night. I would venture to say that he loves me and I, for sure, love him."

Gentle Ben is living his best life. He spent his first 10 years on the streets in California. When he came to Catmandu he spent all this time outside on the big catio. The consensus was that he would do best as an indoor/outdoor with access to a catio. I scooped him up in 2022 and brought him home to join my kitty gang. Nowadays he actually goes outdoors less than his brofurs! He knows what’s outside. Here he is maxxing and relaxing on the catio.

Raven – We first met Raven when she began visiting my wife’s salon in the month of December 2022. She stayed all month and became the official people greeter outside the door. With cold weather setting in, we had Catmandu take her in where it was warm and safe. We decided to adopt her on New Year’s Eve. I had never had a cat before and my wife had not had one for over 16 years. We immediately fell in love with her. She was such a good kitty from the moment we brought her home. She loves her nightly brushings and evening treats. We loved Raven so much we felt she needed a sister. She has since been a wonderful big sister to our two younger adopted cats.

Dahlia is the youngest of our three cats. We brought her home in November 2023. We gave her warm baths when she first joined us because she had ringworm. She loved the baths and as a result of this, she absolutely loves water. As a super confident girl, she has found her place with the older kitties, even bossing them a little. Her zoomies make quick work of our three-story residence. She has a love/hate relationship with the robot vacuum. She loves playing with all her toys and will occasionally dig every toy out of the box to play with them all. She is fascinated by all the birds on our balcony who fly into the feeder. We are most grateful to Catmandu as Raven, Sparrow and Dahlia have been such wonderful additions to our lives.

As you can see, Dave is very comfortable and much loved in his new home. His favorite pastimes are eating, cuddling with his people or a dog and napping.

Mr. Fluffers is the biggest cuddle monster. He took a few weeks to open up, but once he trusted us he turned into the sweetest boy. He spends his days as a lap kitty getting pets and cuddles. He loves to cuddle on top of your chest and give you kisses to let you know he’s ready for pets. He loves forehead kisses and scratches behind the ears. Mr. Fluffers has been the best addition to our family! Thank you so much Catmandu for the wonderful work you do!

LOKI was adopted in June 2023. He took to us and his new home immediately. He’s a big love, independent, a lap cat, social, indoors, outdoors, inquisitive, sly, playful, loves his companion Sheba, not too keen about snow, doesn’t mind getting wet, patrols the backyard, and keeps the house safe. Loki fits right in and is a special and very loved member of the family. We are so lucky to have him.

Posm is the cat I really felt a connection with back at Catmandu. Since then, he’s become my little best friend. He loves affection, play time and especially dinner. He keeps everyone on schedule for dinner, not even a minute late is acceptable. His favorite activity is carrying his mouse toys around the house in his mouth and bringing them to me in the middle of the night. 3am is his prime time to bring them and he won’t stop meowing till I accept his gift. I find them frequently hidden in my shoes or in my bed. Apparently I must be bad at hunting since he feels the need to bring me “food”! Posm, Toto, Mama and Duxx all came in together back in December of 2022 after their beloved owner passed away. As an employee and volunteer at Catmandu, my friends and I spent countless hours socializing these semi-feral cats. If it wasn’t for the help of the Catmandu team and our amazing volunteers, they would not be where they are today! After coming home with us in March of 2024, they are absolutely thriving. Thanks so much for everything, these cats are the highlights of our lives. They make us so happy and we are so grateful they are a part of the family. Thanks everyone!

I adopted Ronald from Catmandu in November 2023. I had recently lost my 2 senior dachshunds and was lonely and looking for a friend. I decided to stop by Catmandu to say hi to the kitties. Linda introduced me to Ronald. He was not adjusting well to the shelter life and was hiding from everyone. I sat down next to the hidey hole that he was hiding in and after talking to him for a few minutes, he came out to say hi and gave me a kiss on the hand. That's when I knew he had to come home with me. Now he helps me take care of my elderly parents, and he has completely bonded with his cat brother, Aries. He tolerates his cat sister, Skye. He still gets a little scared with new people, but he is becoming more confident. He has helped heal my heart from the loss of my two fur babies. I love him so, and I am grateful for Catmandu and Linda bringing us together.

Toto was the most feral of the four. Toto is shy around humans but has become the bravest of all his siblings. His curiosity and inquisitiveness sets him apart from the others. He loves to explore even when it’s stuff he shouldn’t. He is the trouble maker of the house and is into everything but we love him even more because of it. He LOVES to play, and his favorite activities include racing throughout the house during zoomie time, annoying his siblings, climbing all the cat trees, and doing backflips during cat wand play time. He makes great progress everyday, we are able to pet him quite frequently now! His is a character that’s for sure! Posm, Toto, Mama and Duxx all came in together back in December of 2022 after their beloved owner passed away. As an employee and volunteer at Catmandu, my friends and I spent countless hours socializing these semi-feral cats. If it wasn’t for the help of the Catmandu team and our amazing volunteers, they would not be where they are today! After coming home with us in March of 2024, they are absolutely thriving. Thanks so much for everything, these cats are the highlights of our lives. They make us so happy and we are so grateful they are a part of the family. Thanks everyone!

Mama has made the greatest change of them all. In the beginning Mama really struggled with the change. She was still hiding a few weeks into staying here whereas her siblings were already out and about. After lots of love and patience Mama is thriving. She is the most affectionate cat by far. She follows us around the house wherever we are and is warming someone’s lap 24/7. You cannot sit down without her on you, we love it! Duxxie- Duxxie-Doodle’s sweet and gentle personality really has shown itself being in her very own home. She loves affection, specifically at bedtime, and will not stop meowing till she gets it. As soon as you pet her she just turns into this big ol cuddle puddle and the rest is history. She definitely takes the title of best cuddler! Posm, Toto, Mama and Duxx all came in together back in December of 2022 after their beloved owner passed away. As an employee and volunteer at Catmandu, my friends and I spent countless hours socializing these semi-feral cats. If it wasn’t for the help of the Catmandu team and our amazing volunteers, they would not be where they are today! After coming home with us in March of 2024, they are absolutely thriving. Thanks so much for everything, these cats are the highlights of our lives. They make us so happy and we are so grateful they are a part of the family. Thanks everyone!

Li'l Biscuit (formerly Summer) She may be a bit feisty and moody (and downright crazy) at times, but this little snuggler is a total love bug! We are so happy we found her at Catmandu..........She has her forever home with us! 🙂

His mom says Lenny is amazing and very spoiled (as he should be!). He is such a good boy, sleeps on her lap, and even lets her pick him up once in a while! She also says she appreciates all Catmandu does for the kitties.♥️

Rigby is very pleased with his new home, pets, play & food. He has taken a special liking to being brushed so he's all shiny and black.