It is only recently that I have realized that there are a lot of animals out there that would have no knowledge of such a life as a possibility. When I was looking for my second rabbit, I contacted some rabbit foster services, but had difficulty getting timely responses, and would have little to no questions answered before filling out an application, which I did, and still received little to no enthusiasm for my interest. One day, while with my significant other, he saw a rabbit in a pet store that he adored, and we got it. I was disappointed it was from a pet store, but it was still a life that would see a wonderful change and be provided a good home.
When I was looking for a cat - something I've wanted for year and years - I made it my goal to rescue something. I wanted to be able to "heal" something that needed healing. I browsed the internet and was heartbroken to see the hundreds of pictures of cats in shelters, squatting uncomfortably on newspaper in a metal cage and gazing at the camera with a look that appeared to be beyond apathy. Many looked as though they had given up and were just waiting for it to inevitably end.
That is when I came across the Hamilton/Wentworth Overcroweded Shelter rescue. The website said that if you are interested in a cat, to not hesitate with inquiries, as it could save a life. This site provided pages and pages of cats with brief stories. There were kittens, but I wanted a young adult, someone less likely of being scooped up immediately.
Many cats "jumped out" at me while browsing, but when I saw Penny, I instantly saw her future with me. Her eyes didn't plead, they looked angry and vacant. She was guessed to be between 2-3 years old and her history described her as declawed and spayed, meaning once upon a time someone cared to spend money on her, but had since forsaken her.
I contacted the email address provided immediately and was met with a timely, enthusiastic response. It was a Wednesday and I was on night shift, so I expressed my interest to see her once I was done and had caught up on sleep, and ready to make the drive. My contact hinted that it would be best if I came as soon as possible, as Friday was euthanasia day and she was on the list. I told her I would come Thursday right after my night shift.
So, I did it. I worked 8 hours overnight, went to a store and bought oodles of cat supplies, grabbed a coffee and went to Hamilton. The shelter was located beside the SPCA, which I saw many happy animals entering and exiting. There was nobody entering or exiting the shelter.
I got there and quickly realized how different a shelter is from a Humane Society location. There is little to no funding, and thus a "no kill" policy does not exist. My contact walked me down the hall, she was so excited for me. As I passed the cages of rabbits and heard the dogs barking in the back, I began to shake and become overwhelmed by the sadness of the place.
I walked into the cat room and immediately almost all ran to their doors meowing at me. I was instructed that Penny was at the end, and walked down, where I noticed a tag that said to "hold" her. Behind the bars, was that picture in life form. I was informed she had an upper respiratory infection, common for shelter cats, and had been there for three weeks. She was crouched in the corner on newspaper, her eyes leaking to the point that I wondered if she could even see. She was coughing and sneezing. I was terrified of this sick cat.
"Do you want to hold her?"
I forced a smile and said "Sure", and reached in the opened door. She stood up to meet my hand with her head, still wheezing from her upper respiratory infection, and pushed her head into my outstretched hand with what seemed to be all her effort. I pet her, and immediately noticed how thin she was. I could feel her entire spine, and her hips jutted out.
The worker picked her up and commented on her bright, green eyes. I could see them, underneath all of the liquid in them, and held her against my winter jacket. She sneezed and I could feel the saliva and discharge on my neck, but quickly forgot about it. She was very thin, and holding her terrified me even more. I felt like she might break.
I briefly considered the situation and remembered my contact telling me that if "Penny" was not what I wanted, I could look at other cats. Penny was what I had chosen before meeting her, though. I thought about my life with her since I had seen her picture, and she deserved every bit of it.
"She's perfect .... Alright!! What do I do to take her with me?"
They both seemed surprised by my sudden eagerness, as well as the question itself. I expected to pay a fee, but was told that she was free. I pulled my car up and the worker was clutching her at the door for me as I brought out my cat carrier. The worker was petting her neck, as though soothing her, and her eyes were wide with fear. I put her in may carrier, thanked them and told them, "She'll be a queen". My contact looked up at me with a warm smile and said, "You just saved her life". I smiled and thanked them again, and quickly walked out the door as my eyes welled up.
She was uttering exhausted chirps as I brought her to the car. I turned on the seat warmer on the passenger side and placed her carrier on it. Her mouth was opened because she could not breathe through her nose, and she stared vacantly, straight ahead with her eyes mostly closed. She was going through the motions and had given up protests.
I drove home talking to her, calling her the new name I had chosen - Kota (from Coda), from the musical term meaning "tail", to represent the rest of her life in this new chapter (Apparently it is also the title of a Led Zeppelin album, so I'll use that if I don't want to sound cheesy).
I cleaned her up and took her to a vet. The bill was about $80 to be dewormed and antibiotics for her URI. In a few days, she was good as new, gaining weight and eating enthusiastically. She is very social, loves people, loves to play, and is very affectionate. She has had zero "accidents" outside of her litter box and has not wrecked anything.
The SPCA charged over $200 for a lot of their cats. The shelter charged $0. I have paid less than $180 in vet bills, and she is now vaccinated. She has already been spayed (the rescue organizations generally ensure this with all the cats they can) and happened to be front declawed before I got her. I brush her daily and she sheds minimal. She knew her new name "Kota" in about a week and responds to several vocal commands. Smart. VERY smart.
The shelter was an awful place, but sadly it is the best that the workers can provide for the animals until they are hopefully adopted into loving homes. The rescue organization I worked through saves a lot of these cats by volunteering their time and homes and money and cars to find foster homes or forever homes for these cats. Kota is an absolute angel who is perfect in every way. Had I got a kitten, I would be well over hundreds and hundreds of dollars in getting it fixed and vaccinated, let alone adopting it, as most stores or people charge. I get compliments on how gorgeous Kota is regularily, and she was someone that nobody wanted at one point.
Neuter or spay your cat. There are too many that end up at shelters and are euthanized because people refuse to care for their cat or what it produces. We as people domesticated cats, and hold that responsibility to take care of them.
Adopt from a shelter. It is CHEAP and rewarding, Kota is the best cat anyone could have wanted for a pet, but someone didn't want her, and she was almost killed because her chance had come to and end.
I'm thankful that rescue organizations like the one I found exist, and are so wonderful with people and animals. They do wonderful things, and I am eternally grateful that they helped me find my new family member.
