Carol’s Tiny Cat Rescue!

Peanuts – 1964

I’ve love cats since I was a baby and tried to pull our family cat closer to me — UNDER the railing along our foyer steps. Fortunately, our cat was very patient and my mom stopped me before either of us got hurt.

It’s been some time since I’ve done any serious art or writing; travel back to the U.S., a virus (caught by the whole family) and some home repair projects have kept me very busy, but here’s an event that really moved me deeply and why I chose to post it in this blog.

I was on a gigantic emotional roller coaster  which began when one of my Besties informed me that there was a litter of eight tiny newly-weaned kittens that were in danger of being destroyed if new homes weren’t found for them by the end of the week. The mom was a stray and was finally being neutered and adopted by another friend who was moving within days. The circumstances were somewhat convoluted and frustrating for everyone involved, but my friend Carol jumped right in, took up the challenge and spent all day calling local shelters and organizations looking for a place that would save these tiny, adorable babies.

After watching Carol make call after call with no success, I did what came naturally to me, I prayed. I think I may have mentioned that I love cats. God says He knows when a sparrow fall to the ground, so even though cats sometimes eat sparrows, I figure He cares for them too since they fall somewhere in the middle of the Sparrow – Human (worth) chain. I was amazed by Carol’s determination to find a place for these kitties however it worked out. At first I hadn’t realized how upset I was about the situation until Carol noticed that I was disturbed and asked me about it. It was only after she asked me if I was okay that I realized just how distraught I was. As the clock ticked and days passed, I continued to remind the Lord that these little lives hung in the balance. No one was willing to take them.

Finally as the deadline approached toward the end of the week, the phone rang; Carol found out that if she could make it to an area near Athens, GA by 2 pm, there was a shelter that would take all eight. It was already lunchtime and the short deadline set us on a whirlwind adventure! I asked Carol if she needed help; I had prayed for this answer, so it only seemed fitting to accompany her and watch over the scared newbies as they were being transported. They’d never had much human contact as their mum hid them in a woodpile for weeks; I knew that riding in a car would also be a new and scary experience as well — the ride to the shelter was over two hours away. Carol needed to focus on driving through unfamiliar areas, so off I went with her on this adventure. I just couldn’t believe that with all of the other things she has on her own plate, that she would take the time to save these kittens. This woman is one of my heroes! Really.

First we had to pick the kittens up in a neighboring town.

A quick heads-up to the property owner gave her time to capture the cuties before we got there, but we didn’t know that they were all secured until we’d arrived! More prayer in the car before we got there; the shelter agreed to take all eight or none. Fortunately, they were all hungry and capture for the property owner was effortless. I couldn’t believe what a variety of coats there were in this one litter! Three red mackerel tabbies, a calico like mom, a brown mackerel tabby, a couple of grayish ones and a black. What a palette! (See how I worked the subject of art into this post!)

Fortunately, after transferring them to a bigger box most of the kittens hunkered down and went to sleep after the car got rolling, but there were two or three who thought they might try to escape. They were scared enough about riding in the car that they let me stroke them and they kept eye contact with me as they vocalized their concerns. The worriers kept waking the others too with their mewing and stepping on their sleeping sibling’s heads, but eventually, they also settled down and finally went to sleep for most of the ride.

Carol’s daughter assisting Dr. Geren with the black kitten

It was quite an honor to play even a small part in this rescue. We were later than 2, but Dr. Geren was a gem; she is passionate about cats was very thankful that Carol had plowed through all of the challenges to save these little beasties. She assured us that these little lives were finally safe and would be well cared for–neutered, shots, treated for parasites, of course, but also well-fed and housed without cages as they are fostered until they are adopted. The best news is that Magi-catrescue is a no-kill shelter.

I admit it. I cried. By the time we reached home, I was brain-dead and dead tired. But it was a good tired. I may not have many friends and may not get to see them often because I travel so much, but the ones that I have are gold!

Thank you, Carol and thank you Dr. Geren!

These babies aren’t quite ready for adoption, but there are other lovely cats ready for new homes now!
If you live in the Athens, GA area and would like to adopt a beautiful kitty, check out this shelter first:
Magi-cat Rescue

Piedmont Animal Clinic
1870 Hog Mountain Rd
Watkinsville, Georgia
(706) 769-4624

Here are the rest of my photos from our afternoon together: Carol’s Tiny Cat Rescue ’15

Photos from Dr. Geren.

Litter of 8-November ’15

 

Litter of 8 – November ’15 update

Tom Thumb –Adopted!

Brinkley

Gavin

Katie

Sophie

Zoe