I used to live next door to a man with many cats. Way too many cats. Most of them were feral and sickly. Seeing a few of them almost brought me to tears because of the terrible shape they were in. Every couple of a months a new litter would appear; with every crop of cats came more fighting, more illness and more mess. Thankfully, my family was able to trap many of these feral cats and have them fixed through the local Spay-Neuter-Release program. These volunteer-led efforts spay or neuter free-roaming cats at a discounted rate and then return them to the communities they call home, thus helping control feral populations. Cats who go through these programs are permanently ID’d in some way, such as ear-tipping, so that an observer can quickly tell they’ve already been altered.
Let me introduce you to some of the cats we’ve rescued over the years…..and added to the family.
Mink was a beautiful, raven-black female that we found starving and pregnant on the streets of our neighborhood. She came home to our farm and promptly gave birth 2 weeks later, much to the joy of our children and the consternation of my husband….
Mink had three baby boys. From left to right: Houdini, Cosmo and Batman. We decided to keep Houdini and he grew up with our flock of chickens, spending his nights in the warm coop and his days scuffling playfully with the birds over kitchen scraps. His brothers were adopted out through Craigslist to wonderful families.
Today, Houdini is just as handsome as ever and he still has that upside-down heart on his nose. He might just as well have been named James Cagney (one of my favorite actors) because his motto is “I don’t take nuthin’ from nobody.”
Solomon was abandoned during a local blues festival in our town. He sought shelter in a tree in our back yard and boy was I glad he picked us. Solomon (in all his glory) turned out to be one of THE best cats we have ever had the privilege of knowing. He let Catherine dress him up in doll clothes, purred with contentment while the toddlers “handled” him, and remained calm in the storm of chaos and noise that a family of 7 children often stirs up. He passed away last year at the age of 8 and was deeply mourned.
While shopping the antique stores downtown, the children and I found some tiny little kittens in very bad shape, huddled under a pile of trash. They were so young that we had to mix up kitten formula and feed it to them with syringes. But it didn’t take long for them to recoup and thrive on our farm.
Dante (the gray) is a couple of years old now, but still a big baby. He seeks out my lap constantly and likes to “make muffins” (that’s what my children call it when a cat kneads its paws up and down). Pixie (the silver Siamese) also stuck around and became a favorite of our oldest son. Corduroy (the brown Siamese mix) was adopted by my sister. He has grown to be the most impressive of all, like Aslan in his glory. My brother-in-law has nicknamed him “Dragoslav,” which he feels is more fitting for such a magnificent and awe-inspiring feline. 🙂
Now, I know this post is all about stray rescues, but I can’t leave out the Queen Bee. The very first thing I did after graduating from college and getting my own apartment was to buy a cat from PetSmart on the day that the local humane society was offering adoptions. Foxy Brown was sassy and fiery right from the start; I laughed out loud as she trounced every one of her litter mates.
Foxy is 14 years old now and the darling of my heart. I admit she is pampered more than the others, but that’s her right as the dominant female and as a “senior citizen” in cat years.
Look at this face. She knows she’s IT. The children “decorated” her with Easter eggs last Spring and Foxy bore it well with no loss of her dignity. She might as well be wearing a diamond tiara in this photo.
I’d love to hear about your pets and how they became part of your family!
What a darling post! All the cats are super cute! Growing up I always wanted a cat, but my parents didn’t like them so much, so I never got one. Once in college and in my own apartment, I got one! He was all black with a white chest, so it looked like he was wearing a tuxedo, so I named him Tux. Sadly, he was taken (or so I’m convinced he was) and after weeks of putting up flyers and searching the animal shelters, I never saw him again. I was heartbroken. Now, my husband and I have an all white husky named Cane, and a pug named Zoey. Hopefully there will be a cat in our future! Oh, Foxy Brown does know IT; look at that face!
Oh Anel, that’s such a sad story! I’m so sorry you lost Tux. Isn’t it incredible how unforgettable they are, even years and years later? ~Anne
Wow Anne! I wish my hubby would let me bring home all those cats. I have a feeling that I could easily become the “crazy cat lady”! All 3 of our cats have been rescues of one sort or another. Before we moved to our farm we had a bedraggled calico cat show up at our house and we immediately took her in and named her Tiger Lilly. Shortly after we ended up with 4 new kittens. We kept one and named him George and brought them both to the farm when we moved. Sadly, Tiger Lilly disappeared after a few months. However, George is still here and at 14 years old, the senior citizen of our little pride of lions. : ) Catherine came to us through my mother’s neighbors who were moving from a small town to a larger one and they feared her getting run over or lost so she came home to the farm. Purrcy was taken in during an especially harsh winter during a blizzard. He showed up at our door in the middle of the storm with frost-bit ears and ribs sticking out. He had been abandoned the previous summer by neighbors who had moved and left behind all of their animals. Purrcy stuck it out on his own until winter came and then decided he needed a bit of help. He’s become the most loving cat and now tips the scales at around 15 pounds! I love them all and the kids do to!
Well….Jeremiah does have a rule. It’s “one in, one out.” We never have more than 5 at a time, and it works out fine with 5 acres. I loved reading your cat stories! Thank you for taking time to stop by and share that. George is a fantastic name for a cat – so distinguished and full of character. Purrcy’s story is especially inspiring! He sure did bounce back (and then some) from the depths of despair! ~Anne
Oh kitties!! I love cats. I would have a houseful of them if I could. Unfortunately right now our landlord doesn’t let us have pets (unless it’s a small critter like a cockatiel or gerbil), so no cats for us. I miss having a cat! We had a cat named Midget who had a litter of Siamese kittens. They were gorgeous! My first very own cat was Duchess. She was large and black and white. She used to sleep with me every night. Then I moved in with a jerk of a boyfriend who wouldn’t let her sleep with me and she ended up running away. It really broke my heart. I still really miss her. After I met my husband, I got a black kitten I named Pharaoh. I was pregnant with my oldest and he used to ‘make muffins’ on my belly. lol He gave my husband back massages too. Never used his claws. He was an awesome cat. Then there was Cleo and her kittens Little Bear, Mooch, and Princess. Princess was the tiniest kitty! Full of attitude too. So many stories! I can’t wait until we can get a cat again. Neither can my kids! 🙂
Melissa, I love all of their names! And I know what you mean about losing a cat…it really can make an impact. Years later, I still miss the cat who slept with me every night as a child. ~Anne
How absolutely wonderful of you to participate in Spay, Neuter, Release programs. People don’t realize how much it benefits us and the cat population. As for your rescues, so many cats have wondered into your love, which is great, and I’ve rescued 2 kitties and a dog myself. There’s such a great feeling in knowing you gave an animal a home that needed it instead of supporting breeding (which needs control and less back yard breeders).
And, did you mean to release this blog post on “Spay Day”? 😀
Katie, believe it or not, I had no idea it was Spay Day, although when I sent out my tweet I noticed that was a popular hashtag so I tacked it on. Thanks for helping by being a rescue family! ~Anne