Tuesday, May 14, 2013

A TEAM EFFORT

A week or so ago a neighbour of mine made me aware of a stray/feral kitty that had suddenly shown up on her back deck. My thoughts immediately went to Cleopatra (our lone feral in our colony of 1), and of course Red (who graces the front of my blog, not only because he is one amazing kitty but because he's the poster cat for every stray/feral encounter I'll have forever more) - both of whom we were able to trap, vet and take care of.

Initially I told my neighbour to keep me posted. Apart of me silently hoping that this was a kitty who had just wandered away from home, and would wander back. But within days I received another update indicating that he was a frequent visitor and gobbling anything put out for him, obviously very afraid and very alone. So having put my years of experience in fostering (and my new venture into the world of TNRing) to work, I set out to make arrangements with all the contacts I had, to borrow a trap, trap him, make an appointment at a Feral Spay/Neuter clinic, get him a a spot at the Recovery Centre and then release him back outside. One neighbour agreed to do the trapping, another agreed to do transport to the clinic, and both agreed that once he was TNR'd, they'd watch over him, keeping him fed and protected as best they could (as they do with Cleopatra), once he was back to living outdoors.

Then I got a call and an email (never a good sign), that our feral kitty was not feral at all. Infact, once the first week of regular feedings were under his belt and he realized he was among friends, he let his little light shine and voila! - one incredibly handsome cat turned out to be also one incredibly affectionate one as well! He was desperate to come inside, torturing my one neighbour with his constant meowing at night and pawing at her balcony door - as if to say, "Hey wait a minute..........why are you leaving me out here?". Now realizing that he was not feral at all and a complete lovebug, I focused on getting arrangements made to have him neutered while the other neighbour focused on trying to find a fellow cat lover who would offer this boy a good home.

Would you believe me if I told you her efforts on the latter proved totally fruitful within hours of starting a serious search? Well they did, and infact as I type this, not even 12 hours later, our sweet little guy has been adopted by a wonderful woman who has named him Riley, has fallen totally in love and best of all..............given him his forever home; where he will be safe and secure (and neutered) inside all the rest of his days.

All I can say is thank goodness I have neighbours who love cats as much as I do because as the saying goes (and rightly so) - it takes a village.

Sweet dreams tonight Riley, may Heavenly Father bless you and keep you safe all the days of your life.

"Riley - Cute As Can Be"
"Riley - Even Cuter Still"

2 comments:

  1. Nice story with a happy ending. It does take a lot of people to pull off all this rescuing of cats. They are wonderful people, indeed. This cat has a second chance at having a long and love-filled life because you care. Hugs, Deb

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  2. LM-you are such a wonderful example of a truly caring human being. Bless you and your neighbours for being all action.

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