Flossie came to us (already named!) a few weeks ago. She and 24 other cats were taken out of a hoarding situation, and almost all of them were immediately spayed and neutered. There were a few small kittens and poor old Flossie. She was just 1 1/2 pounds, and a little thin and pretty dehydrated like the rest of the cats the shelter took in that day. She was also too small for surgery and hissy to everyone...well, everyone but me! I took her home, and we only had her a few short weeks. In that time, she turned into the sweetest thing, utterly calm, trusting, gentle and quiet.
During my Friday volunteering time at the shelter (when I do adoption counseling), I met a woman and her daughter who were looking for a kitten. We didn't have any young ones at the time, but I showed her a picture of Flossie. She said like she felt it was meant to be, and I met them on Saturday with Flossie, who had come up to weight. They fell head-over-heals for her, and Flossie has been spayed and is now in their tender care. It was so neat to see her new teenage girl cuddle her, and kiss her gently on the nose (over-and-over). I know she is in a good home, and I am happy to have been part of the process to get her there.
And you may remember about three weeks ago, I took in Trulia and her newborn baby kitten (we took mom and Mercy home the day Mercy was born.) She was an only child, which is rare. So the next time I went to the shelter, I looked in Trulia's file. It seems Trulia, who is less than 2 years old, had just had her SIXTH litter. Her original owner didn't want her anymore, because "she kept having kittens." So, all this poor young cat has done since she was probably five months old is be pregnant and take care of kittens.
It made me feel very sad for Trulia -- her growth was stunted (she is a small, 6-pound cat), and her body was so worn out from having kittens, that she could only muster one this time. Still, she is a devoted mother, fiercely protective of her kitten, and a strict disciplinarian. I promised her that Mercy would be it. Then she could go be adopted and live a happy, much easier life.
Then along came Little G (short for "Goodness" and "Geoffrey.") He came into our care as a single, and at three weeks of age still needed to either nurse or be bottle-fed. Trulia took to him immediately, and she has been caring for two kittens. Mercy is happy to have the company, and they get along famously, except for when it's time to eat (then they're fighting for space.) I have been supplementing with a bottle, and both youngsters got their first taste of real food yesterday...and they loved it. God bless sweet Trulia. She is amazing.
Her daughter, Mercy, is quite a looker. She has grown quickly, and wobbles around, peeping and exploring. She likes to be held, and will have longer hair than her mother. We'll get to hang onto Mercy for another six weeks or so -- Little G may go back to his original foster who was having trouble getting him to eat.
And, I can't leave out Brows. She has a sad story, too, like pretty much all of the dogs and cats we take in at the shelter. She came in during an ice storm with six other siblings. They were newborns, and she is the only one who survived. Several of the employees tube-fed Brows, which is tricky, and once she was a pound, I took over, and she's been a handful ever since. She's lively, silly, energetic, crazy, and so, so loving. I love this picture of her with our cat, Ruby, because Brows almost looks like she's thinking: "Just look innocent, and she'll never know what you did earlier."
Brows will soon go for adoption, and the family who adopted Flossie is meeting her on Thursday to see if they'd like to adopt her, too. It'd be nice for Brows to go live with her good buddy that she grew up with here (they had a ball together.) Either way, she'll soon be ready for adoption -- just a few more bouncy, crazy days.
I hope your days are filled with happy moments just like mine are!
16 comments:
Such great stories that touch my heart. So glad for the update on Mercy & Mom. I just don't know how you let them go...but then I guess they would bust you for hoarding!! Keep up the good work...you have the touch!!
I have a small mom that I'm fostering right now. She was left in the middle of the night at our local shelter in Laurel. None of her 5 babies made it...one still had its umbilical cord attached. We don't know if the stress of being left outside made her go into labor early or if the people who left her actually left all 6 of them. To say that she is hissy would be putting it mildly. I'm taking her next week for her spay surgery and shots in the hopes that she can begin to explore the house and interact with my cats some. I enjoy reading your updates and success stories :)
I love your kitty stories and photos, I got my cat from the shelter and he is the most loving cat and a bit of a mummy's boy lol. Keep up the great work and your stitching of course!
Michelle
Such sweet babies!
So sweet.
Thank you for those wonderful stories. It saddens me that people are so irresponsible and clueless when it comes to getting your pets spayed/neutered. Thankfully there are loving and kind souls like yourself to find these sweet animals their forever homes.
Growing up all of our cats were strays, people would get them as kittens and then "oh my they grew" and toss them out to fend for themselves. So my mom would take them in and get them fixed. Most of the time we found homes for them but more then not we kept the ones we just could'nt part with :) They were some of the best cats ever.
Wishing you a great day!!!
Bless you for the work you do with these animals.
Theresa--your stories and pictures of the kittens make me smile. I will go home and hug my three cats tonight. Thank you for all this work and the love you give them.
Boy, does Trulia have some intense eyes!
Carol S.
The woman gave her up because she kept having kittens? Uh, YES, that happens when you don't spay/neuter your pets. People are so clueless. It makes me wish there was some kind of database that said, "NOPE, you aren't eligible". Sheesh!
Trulia is so cute. Love the pic of her cuddling her two babies. And love that she took on G as if he were her own. SWEET mommy!
I'm so happy to see a number of successful adoptions due to your wonderful care of these little orphans Theresa! The world is a better place with people like you in it helping to look out for our feline friends! - and canine!
Thanks for sharing your cat stories. I love them.:)
Such sweet kittens.
My day has been brightened by your joyous post. I love to read the story of each precious kitty and the loving (if only temporary) home they have found with you. Your dedication and commitment to these needy animals is amazing. You have brought joy and hope to their lives and mine as well. Caught up in my own sadness and depression I found your post to be so uplifting and inspirational. Thank you for sharing a bit of your life.
Theresa I love reading your post the world is certainly a better place for all the animals you come in contact with. Keep up the good work, and keep us updated. God Bless you .
Joyce
I hope that one day you get to meet Lisa Tudor and Ellen Robinson of our FACE Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic and Indyferal. They have changed the way our whole city handles cat issues of all kinds. It is pretty amazing.
Post a Comment