All about cats transitions to all about dogs!

Valentine's weekend was just purr-fect, if you ask the five kitties who made their way home to forever families as a result of our PetSmart National Adoption Event. Triumph, Jetta, Honey, Bentley and Blazer are already getting used to be spoiled in their new digs!

But this past weekend was all about the dogs. Three doggies are settling into life in their brand-new homes this week!

Pocahantas (top photo) went home to Janette and her daughter Andrea of Green Bay. Pocahantas has a new older doggie brother named Buddy who she is following around very closely, and he seems happy to show her the ropes!

Our good pal George (middle picture) is now becoming best buds with Seth of Neenah. Seth had a dog named Chewie but his parents "stole" Chewie from him so he was looking for a dog of his own. George was way excited to be going home this weekend. He has his "uncle" Chewie to play with as well as 2 "dog cousins."

Miss Ally (bottom pic) went home to Nicole and Ben of Green Bay and their baby Landen. Ally has a new doggy sister named Sadie who is a Teddy Bear puppy. They both enjoy playing together all day. When Ally has a break from Sadie, she spends her time kissing Landen from head to toe until Landen pushes her away!

We're thrilled for all these guys and want to send a big THANKS out to their new families. We're so grateful that you've opened your homes to these amazing animals!

A peaceful good-bye to sweet Nikolas...

Those of you who have been following the story of Nikolas know how much he's touched the hearts of so many - both before his recent illness and during it. Though he made great strides and his condition improved vastly from when he first got sick, he did lose his fight to recover late Wednesday, Feb. 10. As sad as we are to report this, his actual passing was actually quite peaceful and serene. Read Amanda's account below:

"Nikolas just passed away in my arms a few minutes ago. Nikolas wasn't feeling great today but he still took his meds for me this morning and sat up by his food dish (but only ate a few tiny bites). He got a bath today and afterwards I laid him on my bed while I worked next to him. When I laid down with him that afternoon, he moved closer to me and "spooned" with me. When I came back in for the evening around 7pm, I gave him his fluids and he rested peacefully next to me while I worked again. I picked him up to cuddle a few minutes ago and I could tell I was about to lose him. He slept against my chest and was adopted by God only a few minutes later.

He is meeting up with all his HEA friends in heaven as we speak."

Thanks to everyone who has prayed for Nikolas and sent donations for his care. Your support allowed him to recover well enough to have a comfortable - even happy - last few weeks on Earth. We miss him dearly but take comfort in the fact that he's now happily racing around in Heaven!

Help us find Melvin a home!

We are in need of some help – to find a purrrrrfect home for a special cat named Melvin. He has had a hard road to tread so far in his life and we are hoping to find a loving place that he can call his own.

Melvin was brought to Happily Ever After over a year ago as a stray. When he first arrived, he had a serious upper respiratory infection that was wreaking havoc on his entire body. Even though he was fighting abattle against an illness, he always had the energy to purr when being brushed or petted. With a little extra TLC and medication, he made a complete recovery.

His tough time left some battle scars for Melvin. Due to the upper respiratory infection, his nasal passages have been damaged. As a result, Melvin snorts on occasion. These snorts have become an endearing sound to all volunteers that know him. Lastly, his immune system was affected, which causes some nasal discharge when he is stressed or experiencing a change.

Melvin has a very easy-going personality and loves to be in the company of people and other animals. He believes everyone is his best friend and will casually stroll up to you to say “hi.” He will back away from conflict or drama and not get involved. If he is hissed or growled at, he will not hold a grudge, but try again later. Due to his longer coat, he does not mind being groomed and looks adorable with a lion cut.

During his recovery phase, a Happily Ever After volunteer fostered Melvin for many months. When the time came, he was transferred to the Green Bay PetSmart adoption center in hopes to find a forever home. Unfortunately, Melvin recently had to be removed from PetSmart because he was having a response to some stress at the adoption center.

We are calling out to all of our Happily Ever After friends to band together to find Melvin a person or family that he can love. Please talk with any family and friends that may be considering adopting a cat about Melvin. He is a special guy that needs our attention because he is long overdue for some good fortune! If you or someone you know is interested in Melvin, please e-mail heainfo@aol.com or call 920.639.2654. On behalf of Melvin, THANKS for your help!

Good things happen in 5s (plus a Nikolas update!)

The last time we posted an adoption update, we had five critters who had headed home. And today, we have another five to tell you about!

First of all, we've got great news about Bernie. The shy little pomeranian has really started to really come out of his shell, thanks to his foster mom Sara Jones and other friends! He worked really hard to learn to trust people, and he was rewarded with a forever family: Angela and Anthony of Iron Mountain, Mich. Bernie now has two human sisters named Elizabeth and Victoria, a doggy brother named Puddles and a cat sister named Cuddles-A-Lot! Yay for Bernie!

Zeus, the standard poodle mix, went home to James, a Green Bay resident who is retired and can spend all day playing with him! Zeus is the only dog in James' house, so he's getting lots of love and attention.

Charlotte left the PetSmart Adoption Center in time to spend Valentine's Day with her new family in Fond du Lac. Doug and his daughter are spoiling Charlotte (and her kitty brother Tiger Tom) rotten!! (Charlotte is the orange cat in the forefront of the picture above.)

Our sweet little pooches Cricket and Dawn found a home together! They are now living with Jeff & Cheryl of Green Bay, along with two doggy brothers. Jeff and Cheryl look forward to loving the girls for however long they have left (as they are senior dogs). Cheryl is especially thrilled because the numbers of boys and girls in the house are finally evened out!

Of course, many of you are probably also wondering about our little pal Nikolas. The famous three-legged kitty has made some great improvements since Amanda brought him home from the vet last week. As of Saturday, he's sitting up on his own and trying to groom himself! He's also eating on his own most of the time. Amanda has noticed some spasms in his back leg, so she'll ask about that when she brings him in for a vet check-up this week. Keep those prayers and good thoughts coming his way! He's certainly responding to them!

The latest on Nikolas...

Our little man, Nikolas, is pretty much the same. He was examined by the vet again yesterday, and when she pinched his front toes, he did pull his legs back so that could be a good sign! Today, Amanda thought she saw him put some pressure/use one of his front legs for leverage while eating, though his leg may have just ended up in that position.

He is able to eat on his own if Amanda puts the dish in front of him and positions him just the right way, but he still prefers if she holds him and the dish. He woke her up this morning by biting her in the arm because he wanted to eat. He's clearly getting more and more bossy, and his eyes are definitely brighter - hopefully these are all signs that his legs will start working soon!

We've had some requests to repost information about how to donate to Nikolas' medical care, so here it is again:

There are two ways to donate:

1) You can send monetary donations to HEA, E5714 Bork Road, Marion WI 54950

2) Visit the donation page of our website www.happilyeverafterinfo.org/donate and click on the JustGive Donate Now button.

Thanks to all of Nikolas' friends for caring about him!

Update on Nikolas

HEA decided to bring Nikolas back to the sanctuary - well, sort of! He is living with Amanda...imagine that! Amanda is very experienced with supportive care and is taking care of Nikolas around the clock...no kidding, he wakes her up every few hours in the night to tell her that he is hungry or that he wants his paws massaged! If he makes it through this, he will know no other life than being spoiled. He is taking all of his medications like a champ, under the skin fluids (no more iv's, which is good), and is officially eating on his own, although this is pretty messy yet as he sticks his whole head in the dish, but then again he did that when he was healthy to keep the other kittens from getting any food! He kicks Amanda with his back leg, the only leg that works when he is mad/frustrated with her. The hardest thing for Nikolas at this point is that when he hears noises or wants something he can't get it on his own, but he is learning to communicate his thoughts very well with Amanda. Continue to pray for progress. Nikolas says thanks for caring about him!