The cats that have become a permanent part of my indoor colony are not adoptable because of too many reasons that I can’t understand: too old at 2 months; has Fiv; has Felv; is not a lapcat; not friendly enough, rescued from the streets, not declawed, sheds too much or just not pretty enough. In one instance a pedigree was up for adoption. We had of course gotten him neutered at 6 months of age. “You ruined him!” the woman cried. (I had to laugh – she sounded just like the pretentious woman in the commercial for Smuckers who keeps saying “They’re Preserves not Jelly!”) The potential Show Cat/Breeder decided not to adopt him. Good thing, I’ve seen what some Breeders put cats through. Some of my permanent guests are not socialized, they’re learning to trust me but will lose all trust with anyone else – they are semi feral. It can take up to two years for one of these “semi ferals” to decide to take a really special treat out of your hand.
I started doing rescue one cat at a time, never dreaming that I would eventually become the person people called when a cat was homeless or in trouble. Doing rescue tends to snowball and pretty soon you’re the “Expert” in the area. Be careful, hoarding is the next step on this lonely ladder if you’re not careful.
It has been over 20 years since my first rescue. My experiences have exposed me to many types of rescue situations; rescue groups; cats and people. The entire rescue “landscape” has changed with the introduction of “Umbrella” groups and bunching of rescue groups. TNR is currently the new hope of curbing the stray overpopulation.
While my lifestyle has suffered because of expenses involved in rescue, I don’t regret any of the time or money spent on rescues. Some of the people I’ve met have served to educate me as to what is wrong with people in general so I’ve had to do some serious self development along the way. I dislike the rescuer who’ll run out to take kittens off your hands but refuse to even consider the homeless mom cat. The entire Journey has been a Spiritual Path where I’ve grown as a person and see the world through very different eyes; I have learned to talk to total strangers without letting their opinions overwhelm me (well, on a good day.) I used to be a very shy individual and when I first started asking for donations I actually stuttered despite having a High School and College theatre background.
I want people to know that rescue work will not generate financial prosperity; like a Random Act of Kindness, it’s a reward in itself. Your sense of satisfaction; self trust and self confidence increase your worth as a person. You become a better person all around. When I look at Sweetie Pie, one of my rescues, I see that I gave her the opportunity to become a beautiful and loved cat. If I had not trapped her, she would have been run over by a train after going through sickness and trauma while trying to survive on the train tracks where she was abandoned at 8 weeks of age.
I grew up in various areas of NY and one of the constants everywhere that we moved to were abandoned kittens, cats and dogs. In those days, dogs were tied to fences and the ASPCA truck would pick them up on a designated day of the week. People have not changed very much today.
Maybe the frustration of not being able to help them has led to my insistence now that people stop putting these animals into harm’s way. I want to say, “Listen people, animals starve, suffer and die because you insist on being irresponsible and ignorant. Please CARE! Love the animals; love each other! If you can’t/won’t love them, then leave them alone.” It seems like a weak cry into a very strong wind.
