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Rescues |
Many
cats on the streets are really abandoned or lost pet house cats, who are
struggling to survive. Most
don’t last long without help from humans. Some people think cats can find lots of mice and other small mammals to eat
outdoors, but that is not how it really is.
Cats born indoors, who never
even saw a mouse, don't consider mice as food. Food preferences are
pretty much set in kittenhood, and hunting for survival is something mother
cats need to teach their kittens. Kittens born to non-hunting mothers
don't learn effective hunting skills, even if they were born out on
the streets and become feral, since their mother never learned. Not to
mention that many city areas don't have lots of mice around, and if there are
mice, many have eaten poison set out by humans. So the lost or
abandoned pet cats and their kittens starve or get sick and die,
unless a kindly person notices and helps them.
There are many things you can do to help stray and homeless cats. Read about what you can do at http://wvcats.com/ferals.htm
The cats below were
"caught" by using the "befriending" method, in which
both parties play a role and come to a mutual decision. It seemed as if three of these cats might be
feral, but they turned out to be homeless former pets starved for love, and
most giving of love once they trusted. Imagine, three
"wild" cats that turned out to be lovey lap cats! It is
always worth the time to try to befriend a cat on the streets, especially considering that some of the cats are lost or abandoned tame pet cats.
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Before Love and Care |
Some of our Rescues |
After Love and Care |
He's not snarling. His mouth hurts. |
 Neil
At least 11 months on the streets, he had tapeworms and a broken tooth when finally befriended, then traveled far to become a beloved pet cat with the help of the internet.
Pet (click) his head to read his story:
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Marty
A gentle Persian found on the streets with a severe UTI that quickly became a life threatening blockage.
Owners located, but abandoned him.
Pet (click) his head to read his story:
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Penelope
Scared, starving, bloated from roundworms, with 4 kittens to nurse, she took the risk to be loved and helped a grieving heart with her gentle, affectionate nature.
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Franny
Born feral to Penelope, above, Franny was rescued, socialized and rehomed along with her buddy Marty, pictured above.
Pet (click) her head to read her story:
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Bruce
Not on the streets too long to forget about bonding with a human, but long enough to contract FIV. Sadly, he died two short months after being befriended, but at least he knew love and comfort at the end of his life.
Read about him here |
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Jolie
A kitten abandoned in a parking lot, anemic after two weeks of starving and searching for someone to care for her, she found her new caretakers in some out-of-state-travelers.
Pet (click) her head to read her story:
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Sparky
 Sparky was not a dramatic, heart wrenching rescue of a starving or near death cat, as some of the above cats were, but, his story does have drama in it! And, if he hadn't been taken in when he was, he likely would have become a very sick, starving cat, as he did turn out to have a respiratory infection and clearly had been someone's pet cat, not likely street and hunting savvy.
Lucky for him, a cat loving young man rescued him from a wooded park where he had been seemingly dumped, to find his way to his foster home with this author, where his medical needs were tended, as well as his rehabilitation from a serious play aggressive "attack cat" to a better behaved, adoptable pet cat. Which then allowed his placement in his forever home, all the way from West Virginia to Upstate New York, where the drama really began.
Read about Sparky in discussions at the www.about.com Cats forum, where Sparky's forever home was found.
The beginning of Sparky's story:
http://forums.about.com/ab-cats/messages?msg=25515.1
His big adventure in his new home, with a very scary start at the below thread:
http://forums.about.com/ab-cats/messages?msg=27242.1
Then, the continued integration tensions, with things finally working out:
http://forums.about.com/ab-cats/messages?msg=28672.1 |
Maybe with your help, there'd be one less cat for whom the words below apply, excerpted from:
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"Stray Cat's Prayer"
I don't think I'll make it too long on my own,
cause I'm getting so weak and I'm so all alone
Each night as I sleep in the bushes I cry,
'cause I'm so afraid, God, that I'm gonna die.
I've got so much love and devotion to give,
that I should be given a new chance to live!
So dear God, please hear me, please answer my prayer,
and send me somebody who will REALLY care.
Poem can be read in it's entirety at http://www.friendsofcats.org/poems.htm
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