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Meet Cooper (top right). He is about 10 weeks old. He was found as a stray and taken to the Hollister animal shelter. The girl who found him adopted him, but her father wouldn't let her keep him. She asked friends and coworkers if they knew of anyone who might take him.

Before Cheeto became my cat, he was a cute orange and white stray kitten. He was found in a school for special needs children. One of the children who found him took him to his teacher (my brother-in-law’s sister). She decided to keep him as a class pet. The kids fed and cared for him. But like we all know, school years come to an end.

We got Figaro along with his brother 16 years ago. They were each about 6 ounces, furry, helpless creatures with closed eyes and unable to eat or crawl. A veterinarian’s office knew that I took in helpless kitties, bottle fed them, cared for them and let them develop until ready to adopt out and contacted me. Figaro and his brother thrived and were bonded to each other. We weren’t intending to keep them, but didn’t want to break up the pair. When Figaro was 4, his brother died and we kept him. He needed our comfort and his other cat friends. As he has aged, he has been content and mellow. Amazingly, he has pulled through two difficult health issues in the past two and a half years. He initiates play, likes catnip, cuddling and curling up in any box or basket. He has brought me extended comfort as I grieve the recent loss of my two dogs.

I have a cat that loves to go for walks. Her name is Sassy. I found Sassy on Thanksgiving day , two years ago. As I walked my dogs on the levee that day, Sassy came out of a drainage ditch limping on a hurt leg. She ran up to me desperate for some attention. I picked her up and took her home. I never intended to keep her since I already had three dogs, a cat and two hamsters but she quickly became part of the family. She is such a sweet cat and has never been scared of our dogs. I take the dogs for a walk everyday and Sassy would always sit in the driveway and watch us leave. One day she decided to follow us and to my surprise she followed us all the way around the block. Well she's been following us ever since. It's been about nine months now and she goes everyday. If she gets left behind she is quite upset when we get back. My neighbors laugh when we walk by and I get stopped everyday by walkers and joggers that are amused by the sight of a cat walking with two dogs. She makes me laugh everyday, so this Thanksgiving I give thanks for my silly cat named Sassy.

When our daughter entered second grade, we wanted to adopt a pet that could tolerate the affection every 7-year-old wants to lavish on the family doll - er, I mean cat.

As much as the South Valley loves its dogs, as was illustrated by our “It’s a (wonderful) Dog’s Life” tribute to Man’s Best Friend Sept. 27, it’s time the cats were counted.

Collin is an 8-year-old Siamese lynx point cat who is very quiet, sweet and relaxed. He would make a great lap cat and loves to be pet. He has been at the San Martin Animal Shelter since October and would love to find a forever home. Interested? Call (408) 686-3900.

At about 8 a.m. Nov. 20, Hollister police and and animal care officers responded to a call of a sick horse in the area of Fallon Road and Shelton Drive, according to a statement from the Hollister Police Department.

As the shopping season is here, the police department announced that there will be no timed parking enforcement during the holiday season.

The local chapter of the American Red Cross is hosting a “Pizza for a Purpose” event Friday to raise money for those affected by the typhoon in the Philippines.