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Companion Corner: Maisy and Prince at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There are a pair of cats who are looking for their new family to snuggle up to.

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

Prince and Maisy are a father and son duo at Berkshire Humane Society looking for a new home together.

Feline/small animal adoption counselor Alyssa Petell introduced us to them.

Prince is about 2 years old and dad Maisy is 5 and they have been at the shelter for a few months.

"Prince and Maisie have been here for about six months now. They came from a home with way too many animals, and eventually the people lost their homes, so they did have to be surrendered to our shelter," she said.

Maisy loves to receive pets and belly rubs. He likes to talk to you and will play as well.

"Maisy, here, as I said earlier, is so affectionate, he just wants to be pet all the time and loved, and he is a funny cat, because he has kind of a quirky side to where he wants to be pet like rough, he likes when you just mush his head and give him all the love," said Petell.

Maisy's son Prince, is also a talker and loves to play with toys. 

"Prince is a little more independent, but he's also very sweet. Prince is very vocal ... we do think that he's mostly deaf, so that's a part of him being very vocal," she said. "The second you walk in the room, he'll yell and get really excited, and just, you know, be really happy to see you. He'll always greet you, but he's very sweet, too. They're a very good pair of boys."

The two are healthy but Prince does have asthma. It doesn't change the way he plays, but he may be a little sneezy and have fits of coughs.

"Prince here actually does have what we call feline asthma. He was diagnosed with it. We did chest X-rays, blood work, trials of medications to kind of rule out everything, and he does have occasional bouts of sinusitis to where he gets really sneezy and boogery, so that is something that you know whoever adopts them would have to manage," she said.

The two can go to a home with children and with someone who would love very affectionate cats.

"I just think that they are the most wonderful pair of boys that deserve all the love in the world, and they're just amazing. I can't say anything else other than I wish the best for them. I think they're going to find a great home. If you're looking for an overly affectionate pair of boys, they are that pair of boys," she said.

Since June is "adopt a cat month," the Berkshire Humane Society is having a raffle — if you adopt a cat (or two) from the shelter, you will get to pick a mouse out of a prize bucket for a random prize, and you also get entered in a raffle to get a cat-themed gift basket. 

Both of their fees are sponsored.

You can visit Prince and Maisy at the Berkshire Humane Society and read more about them on the website.

The Berkshire Humane Society is open Tuesday through Sunday. The adoption center is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

 

Tags: Berkshire Humane Society,   cats,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Berkshire Health System Blood Program Helps Shield County From National Shortage

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The American Red Cross declared its second national blood supply crisis in its history on Monday, but community members can breathe easy thanks to Berkshire Health System's blood donor program. 
 
Berkshire Medical System has always had a stationary donor center for autologous donations, which is no longer common practice, and had some O-negative blood on hand that it purchased from the Red Cross prior to having its own blood donor program, said Christine Amuso, blood donor coordinator.
 
Today, Berkshire Health System's blood donor program collects about 2,300 to 2,400 units of blood annually, all of which stays within Berkshire County to help keep local blood supplies stocked. 
 
In some years, the program has reached record collections of about 3,000 units.
 
"That [record has] only happened a couple of times since I've been employed with the program. So, we really have done wonders with the program," Amuso said. 
 
Donating blood through Berkshire Health System's program is accessible, with a donor center at the main campus and a mobile blood unit that travels throughout Berkshire County, including select Saturdays.
 
While appointments for blood donations are strongly encouraged, staff also intentionally leave scheduling gaps to accommodate additional donors who walk in without an appointment. 
 
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