First
I would like to start off by giving a huge thank you
for all that you do. We had a feral cat that kept
coming to our yard last winter. He would howl and
meow. It also appeared that he had an injured leg.
We were able to get a trap from a Pawswatch volunteer.
Once we we
able to trap the cat a Pawswatch doctor fixed, vaccinated,
and treated the cats leg. We released the cat once
he was recovered from his surgery. We continued to
see the cat (affectionately named Oreo) in our yard.
One
night I heard him howl so loud. I also noticed he
wasn't using his leg.
We were able to capture him again and thanks to Pawswatch
volunteers he
was given a second chance. Oreo was able to get the
medical attention and
rest that he needed. This photo was taken about 3
months after his
surgery. Oreo never let us get close to him. He would
still come visit
in our yard. One day he sat still long enough for
us to take this photo.
I always believe that he would come around the yard
for a visit as his way
of saying thank you. Thanks again, Sarah
WINSTON'S STORY
Before
 |
After, what a pristine
&
handsome boy! |
Just before Christmas
in 2004, I was driving by a downtown bank and saw
a thin and dirty cat walking by it . Even though I
was no longer an active rehabber, I could not ignore
such an obviously hungry and cold animal. There were
no homes nearby and he was clearly a stray. I pulled
over and got out of my car but he was too frightened
to come to me. I put out the trap I always have in
my car, but he would not go near it, even with the
tuna inside. He ambled across the street and into
a gas station, and then disappeared. I was so sad
for him.
From then on, every time I went downtown I would look
for him. Even though he was shabby, he had beautifully
wide face and extra toes. I knew he was special.
Meanwhile, two friends in the next town mentioned
that a white kitten had shown up at their back door
looking for food. I met my friends when they had adopted
a kitten from me that had been dumped on my doorstep
in a box in the middle of summer. They fed the neighborhood
cats and tried to fix and shelter the feral ones.
I was a little disappointed by their news because
they had just agreed to adopt another kitten from
me. But I was happy that the kitten was out of the
winter cold and would ask about him from time to time.
I heard he was doing well but I hadn't yet visited
him.
Then in January I was driving home from Connecticut
and passed by their street. After driving over the
Pawcatuck River bridge, I was in the area where I
had seen my downtown cat and for the hundredth time,
I looked around for him. Then it hit me. White kitten?
Could it be? I called my friends and asked about their
kitten. They said I had misunderstood. Their new cat
wasn't a kitten. I turned around and drove to their
house. Sure enough, it was "my" cat; there
was no mistaking that wide face and huge paws. I was
as happy as I could be, seeing him safe and warm.
He is a loving, chubby housecat now. What a miracle
that he had ended up with someone I knew so that I
no longer had to worry about him! I called him my
Christmas Miracle Cat. My friends call him Winston.
LOVEY & BANDIT,
HAPPILY EVER AFTER!
Lovey -
Just after her rescue...so skinny...
Lovey reunited
with brother, Bandit - FAT & HAPPY!
Lovey & Bandit
were part of a group of 20 or so feral cats living
in Woonsocket. The kitten situation had gotten out
of hand, and the caretaker, who was doing such a fabulous
job trying to maintain the colony, was forced to seek
relocation for the cats. Most were kittens and therefore
able to find homes. However, Lovey and Bandit were
older and wary of people. Since they could not go
back, a barn was found for them to relocate to. Now
named Hank and Hazel, these cats are happy and safe,
living with their new friend, Henrietta!According
to their new caretaker "they are precious the way
they burrow into my open tack trunk and do all kinds
of antics…they are so busy scampering around and having
their discussions. I keep meaning to take pics for
you…you will melt...they are plump, healthy, and just
fine.They are more around when I am doing my stuff
and they don’t run when I move from here to there,
but petting them hasn’t happened yet although they
clearly enjoy my company and are curious as to my
every move." Thanks to PawsWatch, and the diligent
help of some volunteers, these cats were able to be
altered, receive their vaccinations, and live happily
ever after!
The Harborside
Colony
Oreo - |
Baxter,
my very first TNR! |
It all began with
a walk by the bay in East Greenwich during the summer
of 2002. I noticed a few kittens and a mom, but I
wasn't sure what to do! I reached out to PawsWatch,
who came to my rescue, showing me what to do and loaning
me the necessary supplies to trap them so they could
get vet care. 16 kittens were removed from the colony,
tamed, and found homes. Several adult cats received
their vaccination, were spayed or neutered and returned
to the colony to live out their lives. I have not
seen a kitten in the area since October of 2002! Today
the colony has tapered down to three healthy adult
feral cats that I still take care of today... four
years later!
The Bugaboo
Crew
---------
Abbee, before...a shy feral
Abbee, after - finally safe!
Abbee was found in
the blistering cold of winter, living outside of restaurant
with her two brothers. She was about 5 months old
when she was 'trapped', and, boy oh boy, she defined
the word 'wild'! Since she had never had contact with
a person before, her normal defense was to act terrified.
PawsWatch was able to help me get them the shots and
fixed, but I felt bad about releasing them --- I felt
they could be tamed. They were placed with another
local rescue group, where they were tamed and adopted
out to great families. I, however, ended up 'taming'
Abbee. She was a bit of a 'problem kitten'. She was
hissing and lunging at me - I couldn't even touch
her! I decided she could live with me until she became
tame enough to adopt out. Well, the very first night
she stayed over, I woke up to hear my little wild-child
purring up a storm in her carrier! It took only a
few days for her to come around, and although she
was very, very timid, she would snuggle with me in
bed at night. In the meantime, she fell in love with
my other two cats (she had been tested for diseases
so it was ok for them to mingle). Surprisingly, they
loved her back! How could I take her away from the
person she grew to trust and the 'brother and sister'
she loved? Needless to say, Abbee became a permanent
member of the family. She is still a little shy, but
every night she comes to bed to snuggle and purr and
show how grateful she is!
Tony
& Cleo needed extra TLC...
Tony & Cleo, with a
new fluffy friend
Tony (tiger and white
male) and Cleo (black) were siblings trapped in Providence.
They were orphans and trying to stay warm underneath
a dryer vent.
Once captured, it
became apparent that they were both suffering from
upper respiratory infections. Despite treatment, their
eyes became involved in the infection and each kitten
had to have it's right eye removed by Dr. Kenfield
of Portsmouth. They were neutered and spayed at the
same time.
An adoptive home
was found quickly for both siblings to stay together.
Their mom is a police dispatcher and dad is a firefighter,
and the kittens named "Tony and Cleo" are getting
along great with the family's five year old Maine
Coon.
Ginny's Story....she
was almost 'put back'!
Ginny! What a pretty girl! . |
Kathleen, thanks for rescuing me!
|
Ginny was trapped
at a desolate fish processing plant in Narragansett
where the food was inconsistant and the shelter had
to be hidden. Some of the workers were kind but others
threw out the food dishes and kitty condos. The feeder
was very ill and the long term prospects of these
cats being cared for were poor.
When I trapped Ginny
she was small and so pretty. I really wanted to tame
her and saw glimmers of hope when I worked with her,
but she was already fully grown so the chances of
success were small. She never meowed, even for food.
I was caring for so many cats at the time that I had
to be strong and make tough choices. I kept being
told "You can't save all of them" and I tried to believe
it.
I was reluctant to release Ginny back to her colony
but I knew that if I kept all of the cats that might
tame up someday I would be unable to continue rescuing
any cats. So I drove to the fish plant, quickly got
out of the car, put the crate on the ground, and opened
it, all without trying to feel my disappointment and
fear for her. But unlike most released cats, she did
not bolt from the cage. So I picked up the cage, held
it upside down, and shook it. No cat. Then I heard
the tiniest little peep. Ginny's first word! I'm sure
she was saying "I don't want to go back there!". At
least, that is what I heard. I slammed the crate door
shut, ran to my car, slammed the car door closed,
and breathed heavily. I told her she was NOT going
back and we would just have to work something out.
A few weeks later a wonderful woman saw Ginny on Petfinder
and knew she was the kitty for her. She didn't even
mind the ear tip and said that it was proof that she
was a special cat. After several long conversations
and reference-checking, Shari drove the long distance
to pick up her new sweetie-pie. It took some time
and patience, but Ginny is now a loving family pet,
who sends me a Christmas card every year and even
helps her mom with the gift-wrapping!
Henry's Story...A
kitten with a Flipper?
Henry shortly after
his rescue......
|
Henry now - very handsome!
|
One time my mom was
out, and I was doing homework. When my mom came home,
she was carrying an animal crate with a kitten in
it. She took the kitten out, and I saw that it had
three legs, and in place of the front left leg, there
was a flipper. Then I realized that it had only half
a tail. My mom said it is a boy, so we decided to
name him “Henry”. I asked my mom where he came from
and why he only had three legs and half a tail. My
mom said that Henry was born like that. Then she said
that Henry’s mom is feral and had her kittens in a
machine shop. There was a guy that works there and
feeds them. When he came into work that day, the mom
and her babies were eating, and then they saw him
and ran away. Since Henry only has three legs, he
was not able to keep up with his mom, so the man was
able to catch him. Now he is nine month old and as
I sit writing this article, he is playing with my
other cat, Victoria. Henry is the fastest cat in my
house.
George's Story...he
fell into WHAT?
George's 'glamor shot'! -
|
Ready
to pounce!
|
George is featured
on the cover of our Rescue Calendar for 2006. He was
rescued from a basement in Jan 2005 where he ran into
an open cellar door to escape from the blizzard. He
was a scared little boy and was seen darting around
the storage sections. We were called to trap him when
the landlord started to get impatient with him still
being in the cellar. He was neutered and while he
was recuperating, I started feeling like he might
be a tame cat rather than feral. So I put on thick
gloves and tried to pet him. He seemed to enjoy it.
After a few days he came up to live in my bathroom
to get used to being in a house and being pet more.
He was very timid for awhile but made continual progress.
One morning, I went into my bathroom and he wasn’t
there! But there was no place for him to go, so I
was stumped. Then I had a thought and ran downstairs
on a hunch and opened up my laundry chute and there
he was suspended in amongst the sheets and clothes.
He must have been trying to get up to the shelf above
the chute and step on the knob and fell into it. Luckily
it was a pretty full chute so he didn’t get hurt.
He was none the worse for his little adventure. After
a little while he was ready for adoption and after
only a day up on PetFinder, I got a call. I wasn’t
quite ready for him to go that fast, but it was definitely
right. The family (all three) had each sat down to
look over the cats available and they each had their
list. George was one they all agreed on. He is now
living in a great home with a buddy, Rocky, who loves
him dearly and a new comer, Phantom. George is not
the shy little boy that left my house that night.
He now goes right up to visitors and greets them and
sits in their laps. He is a licker and will lick Rocky
and their faces and even their hair. George will always
jump in the dryer when it’s laundry time. He follows
them all over the house. Mike said that his daughter
will dress George up all the time and wrap him up
in blankets and he doesn’t mind it at all. She will
carry him around the house under her arm like a ‘living
doll’. George keeps them laughing with his antics
and his silly ways. This is another happy ending.
