Companion Corner: Grey Boy at No Paws left Behind

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — There's a new cat at No Paws Left Behind looking for his forever home.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Grey Boy is 10 years old and is a gray and white domestic shorthair.

The shelter's Executive Director Noelle Howland introduced us to him and his long journey to be ready for adoption.

"He's been here a couple months. He was a transfer from a rescue in Bennington. They were out of space, so we had taken him in with a few other cats. So he's been here a couple months. He came in with what we believed was a respiratory infection," she said. "So it took us a little bit to get him ready, and then he also needed a dental. So he has nice, clean teeth. He had some teeth removed, and then he has to go back in and have one more dental. So he'll be all ready to go."

He does have feline herpes, also called feline viral rhinotracheitis, a contagious, common respiratory virus that is not curable but is manageable. It can go into remission but can flare-up in cats under stress. It is not contagious to humans. It's recommended Grey Boy not go to a home with another cat because of the possible stress. He could go home with a cat savvy dog and children.

"It is believed that he does have herpes, feline herpes, so he will, unfortunately, have to be an only cat going home, but he could potentially live with another cat [later] once he gets settled in, just due to stress," Howland  said. "Herpes can become a little bit more active but doesn't stop him from being an active, happy cat."

Grey Boy loves to play with toys and enjoy treats. He would also love to have a window to lounge or bird-watch in.

"He is not afraid of anything. He's very curious, so I'm sure he'd love if you have windows for him to look out of. He still plays, even though he's 10 it does not stop him. So any home would be a good fit for him."

Now that he is ready to be adopted he is excited. When you walk into the room with him he will rub up against your leg introducing himself and asking to be pet.

"Usually, I would say, when you're walking, he'll bonk into you so he might catch you off guard a little bit. He constantly is rubbing against you," Howland said. "He really, I would say he's lazy when you want him to be, and he's active when you want him to be. He'll play with toys. He's usually lounging away. And then when he comes out he'll play. He loves it. So, very friendly, easy going cat."

Because of his herpes, he will occasionally have a sneezing fit he is perfectly healthy and is ready to find his forever family.

"I would say the friendliest, easiest cat you could have. He's just, he's just gonna be a little sneezy sometimes, but that doesn't stop him from doing anything," she said.

Grey Boy's adoption fee is sponsored by Rooted in Balance Counseling LLC.

If you think Grey Boy is your next companion, you can contact the shelter or learn more on the shelter's website.

Northern Berkshire United Way: 1960s Sees Growth, Goodbyes

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:23PM / Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Northern Berkshire United Way is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Each month, we will take a look back at the agency's milestones over the decades. This first part looks at its successes and challenges during the war years.

Campaign Chair Harry Melchior puts up the goal sign for 1963 at the old YMCA on Summer Street. Below, volunteers by the tote board.  

 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The United Community Fund's 1961 annual meeting featured skits re-enacting its founding 25 years before. 

 

It was a festive affair at the Masonic Lodge, with current officers dramatizing the first meeting of the chest as Frank Bond and Edward Wilkinson, and a second showing what the women thought about the one-fund drive. Yet another skit re-enacted the presentation of a "Citation of the Decade" in 1956 from the Massachusetts Community Organizations Society.

 

If that weren't enough, a barbershop quartet of Leland Buzzell, George Lerrigo, Donald Crippen and Leonard Dodge serenaded the dinner served by the Naomi Chapter of Order of Eastern Star, there were "slide flashbacks" and the introduction of Gladys Brigham, the new executive director of the Pittsfield United Community Fund.

 

"This is not a tribute to the individuals who have lead the Community Chest and United Fund Campaigns over the past quarter century, but it is rather a tribute to the hundreds upon hundreds of civic-minded people to whom the credit for success really belong," President Herbert S. Gordon wrote in an anniversary booklet dedicated to the people of Clarksburg, Florida, North Adams and Stamford. 

 

"The army of volunteer workers and the generous contributors have been the backbone of our drives and this will continue to be true in the years ahead."

 

The fund had grown immensely over the past 25 years, raising some $1.75 million during that period. But the 1960s would see the fund grow even more in both fundraising and the agencies it supported. 

 

At the very beginning of the decade, the fund moved into new quarters on the sixth floor of the New Kimbell Building, sharing with the Community Council, Child and Family Center, Visiting Nurses, North Berkshire branch of the MSPCC and Family and Children Service of Berkshire County.