Poor baby! How lucky she is you found her. Shame about her
babies, but at least she will be okay.
We've been seeing a lot of "dumpees" at our rescue group too. Makes
me sick.
Terri in NJ
=^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, Dori and
6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec & Salome'
=^..^=
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 3:08
PM
Subject: Matilda, aka Atila the
Honey
As happens so often, my latest little refugee from the street
found her
way to me. One morning about 2 weeks ago, I went to pick
up the feral
food dishes in my front yard and noticed a little tuxy/tabby
gray and
white kitty sitting, pretty as you please, watching me from
across the
street in my neighbor's front yard. Now, I know almost
all of the cats
and dogs in my neighborhood by name, and I'd never seen
this little one
before. I went over to introduce myself. She
didn't run, she just
cautiously stood her ground, sitting in that 'good
kitty position', and
watched with huge expressive emerald eyes to see what
I was up to. My
neighbor came out and the little one took off into a
back yard. That
night, she showed up at my food dishes. I went
out to talk to her and
saw that she was VERY pregnant! Aaggrh!
I brought her a dish of wet
food and she hungrily gobbled and
growled. She wouldn't let me touch
her, but I knew she wasn't truly
"feral", only a stray would eat in
front of a stranger like that.
The next morning she was back at her
post across the street.
Determined to catch her before she had her
litter, I marched over there in
my pajamas armed with a carrier and a
dish of food. She struggled
valiantly against her capture, but she
didn't purposely try to scratch, or
bite. That night, a kind vet told
me that she was emaciated,
jaundiced and in danger of losing her life if
she delivered her
kittens. She was spayed, given fluids and a shot of
antibiotics. Sadly, her five little ones never got to see the light
of
day. The first week of her recovery she barely stirred from her
bed,
she'd growl everytime I approached with a plate of food, but somehow
she
still made it to the litter box to relieve herself. It was touch
and
go, I didn't know if she'd make it, it seemed she'd lost the desire to
live. Exactly a week to the day after her surgery she came alive and
displayed all the indications of someone suffering from Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder. I can only imagine the horrors she'd faced on the
street. It's so obvious that this little darling was loved,
protected
and cherished at one time. She was ill equipped to deal
with the
overwhelming task of fending for herself. Can you imagine
finding
yourself in such a hostile world? Tom's attacking her to
mate,
terrifying encounters with dogs out for the sport of her blood, and
all
the time searching and mourning for the comfort and safety she had so
recently known. It's no wonder the poor little thing was terrified
of
any being with four legs and that it took a bit of persuading for her
to
see that she had finally found a friend in me. My sore back can
attest
to the hours spent cuddling with her on the bathroom floor.
Her need
for affection and a feeling of protection was so great that she'd
howl
and yowl everytime I left her side. I was so concerned for
her! By the
second day of this behavior, she had cried herself
hoarse! None of us
got any sleep, unless I was with her. In
recent days we've been seeing
slow improvement in her ability to view the
world as a safe place
again. She no longer hurls herself in fright
with claws and teeth bared
at the screen door that separates her from the
rest of my household when
she spots one of my other animals. She's
still growling under her
breath at the dogs, but she's begun to allow my
little cat Pistol to
keep her company when she sits vigil outside the
door. I've been doing
my best to reunite her with her former
guardian, but so far, no luck.
My home, as loving as it is, is
crowded with animals and not an
appropriate placement for one so
emotionally fragile. Please pray that
I find her an understanding
home that will suit her special needs. One
that can lavish love and
compassion on this deserving little soul. This
little one has so
much to share, if only we can find her true forever home.
Nina
Kat
wrote:
>Okay - make that "we 6" -
>I'm still hear - just up to
my eyeballs in work.
>Nina, I'd love to hear about Matilda aka Atila the
Honey.
>Kat (Mew
Jersey)
>
|
