We haven’t featured cats available for adoption for a couple of weeks, so this week we are presenting two of them.

Howard ended up in animal control when his owner surrendered him. He was 18 lbs at intake, but after two months in the stressful shelter environment, he lost 4 pounds, more than 20% of his body weight! Once he was in a comfortable foster environment, Howie’s appetite came back, and he looks great! He loves to be around people and wants to follow his foster mom everywhere. He is a little nervous around new kitties, but never aggressive – he just needs some time to adjust to them. Howard loves to curl up next to his people and purr, and purr and purr. If you sit down with him for a minute, Howie will rub against you, flop down, and roll over for pets. He is such a sweet guy! Howard would prefer a home without a dog, but he should do really well with kids, given his gentle nature. Please give this big boy the forever home he deserves!

Howard is about three-five years old, neutered, FIV/FeLV negative, FVRCP and rabies vaccinated, tested/treated for fleas/parasites as needed, and uses the litterbox.

Jenni was rescued form a junkyard along with her rambunctious kittens during an early snowstorm. She will start to purr just by talking to her. When you actually pet her, look out! She is a true lap cat. She loves to get on laps and be petted and just purr away. Jenni doesn’t really play with other cats, but she does like to play with toys, preferably ones with bells, whistles, rattles, etc. She isn’t a fan of loud noises or boisterous households, so she would do well in a quiet home by herself or with another laid back kitty.

Jenni is one-two years old, spayed/neutered, FIV/FeLV negative, FVRCP and rabies vaccinated, uses the litterbox, and was treated for fleas and parasites as needed.

Both cats are available for adoption through City Kitties. If you have questions about either one of them or want to meet them, please visit this page for more information.

Anyone interested in starting or joining a town watch group on their block or neighborhood is invited to a meeting on Thursday, Jan. 5 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Renewal Presbyterian Church which is on the corner of 47th and Cedar.

The meeting will include a discussion with Tara Smith from Town Watch. The meeting is specifically aimed at a group forming from St. Bernard to 47th, Kingsessing to Baltimore. But anyone interested in starting a group of their own will find the meeting useful.

If you are interested in attending, contact Patty Bulack at pbulack[at]gmail.com so she can get a rough head count.

Every January for the past eight years, Philadelphia-based artist group Artclash Collective has been inspiring people of all ages, artistic persuasions, and walks of life to make art through their Fun-A-Day initiative. The idea behind it is simple: anyone can participate as long as they select an artistic act to do every day throughout the month of January. At the end of the month, each artist assembles the resulting 31-part exhibit for the ArtClash Collective to arrange in its annual show. Daily art projects have been as diverse as making the bed, writing a haiku, drawing a penguin in a different outfit, writing art jokes, posting a Jay-Z quote to your facebook profile, and learning a new song.

Fun-A-Day is now active in 20 U.S. cities as well as Dundee, Scotland, and Montreal.

The works produced by Philadelphians will be exhibited in the 2012 Fun-A-Day show at Studio 34 at 4522 Baltimore Avenue on February 11 and 12.  The exhibit will also feature an open mic event for those making daily literary art. Studio 34 reports that in past years, over 500 people have turned out to see the Fun-A-Day projects.

For more information, visit Studio 34’s and Artclash Collective’s websites.

– Emma

Bird food, plant and monetary donations are needed for the Spruce Hill Bird Sanctuary. For more information see the flyer below. Please call the Spruce Hill office (215-349-7825) to arrange a drop off time for bird food donations.

The bird sanctuary is located in the backyards formed by the houses facing Spruce & Locust, 45th & Melville Streets. It is open to the public (the entrance is next to 233 S. Melville). Click here to see photos.

Here are some more details on how you can recycle your Christmas tree.

Option 1:  From Tuesday, Jan. 3 through Saturday, Jan. 14 West Philly residents can drop off their tree at the Sanitation Convenience Center located at 3033 S. 63rd Street. The center is open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Christmas trees brought to the site should be free of all decorations and ornaments, untied and free of plastic bags or wrappings. For more information call (215) 685-4290, 01.

Option 2:  You can bring your tree to Bartram’s Garden (54th St. and Lindbergh Blvd.) on Saturday, Jan. 7 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. during Christmas Tree-Cycling & Coat Drive. Your tree will be recycled into wood chips. $5 donation requested. All decorations must be removed. No early drop-offs, please. Also, gently used coats will be collected for donation to Feel The Warmth.

Option 3:  Also on Saturday (Jan 7) UC Green will set up a Christmas tree collection station at Clark Park (43rd & Chester). Bring your tree along with a $5 donation between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The collected trees will be recycled into wood chips for Farm 51 and the Holly Street garden. Also at the same time and place, UC District is collecting used electronics for recycling, so if you have anything with a plug you want to dispose of, please bring it in.

One of our readers emailed us earlier today with this information:

“This guy is hanging out on my back steps at 4301 Larchwood. Purple collar but no tag. It’s in an enclosed back hard, but the back gate is open. He/she may not be lost, but I’ve never seen it before, and it’s not motivated to go anywhere.”

If this is your cat please email to: claireiltis[at]gmail.com