Posted on 12/02/2010 3:03:27 PM PST by Dallas59
Jack (at the time he was known as Stevie Wonder) was born without eyes. He’s very lucky with his timing. He grew up having other kittens to play and socialize with, and was used to people from the moment he was born since there are always kids hanging around the barn. He was a favourite amongst the students at the barn. However, when it came time to find the kittens homes, no one knew where Jack would end up. Although some of the kittens already had homes, the ones they couldn’t find homes for would go to the local vet’s to be put up for adoption. They didn’t want to do that with Jack. There was no doubt any of the “normal” kittens would find homes there, but Jack was special.
(Excerpt) Read more at lovemeow.com ...
Please ping me when you do.
I surely will. Just haven’t had the time to write it up yet.
So I wanted to tell you about my rescue kitten story over Thanksgiving.
Some Thanksgivings we like to go on a few days road trips to nearby locations. This year we chose Northern AZ and NM. Saw the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest in AZ and the Petroglyphs just outside of Albuquerque.
This turned out to be the homeless cat vacation. On our way to the Painted Desert on the 25th I noticed a stray/feral calico cat around the Super 8 motel in West Albuquerque. I put out some of my dog's food for it and we left. On the 26th coming back through Albuquerque, my son and husband noticed 4 stray cats in the same area on the roof of the Furrs cafeteria--probably because it was warm on the roof from the day's sun. I put out some more bowls of my dog's food for the kitties. Here's a pic I got of one on the roof--probably the same cat I had seen the day before:
Continued below...
We get to the parking lot/restroom area of the Fort and we notice there is a young orange tabby kitten going up to every visitor that is heading down the trail to the Fort. He has a collar on, kinda skinny, and is super friendly. I grab him up to ask the Ranger if he belongs to the Fort as I seem to remember that they had Fort cats. He doesn't really like me holding him so he jumps out of my arms before I make it very far down the trail.
The Ranger at the door said the cat had been hanging around for a month. Another Ranger told me he figured he had probably been dumped. We look around. Take pictures of the Fort and the "government" cat working there and head out. We got there kind of late in the day--just after 3 and they close at 4.
Fort Cat on the stairs
soaking up some last
rays of afternoon sun
Continued below...
The family was kind of lingering a bit at the rest area, and I thought maybe they were contemplating taking the cat. Still, I grab a couple of styrofoam bowls and put out some dog kibble and botled water out for the kitty.
We've got our dog with us and no place to put the cat and husband is strongly encouraging me to "leave the cat".
Here's the picture I took as we headed out...
I'm road weary, but decide to give my mom a call and see if she wants to make a trip down to La Junta with me and the kids. Normally she's at my brother's house on Sundays--if she hadn't been there I probably wouldn't have made the trip without another adult. She immediately says yes. We take an alternate route down there--first to Limon and down South from there to La Junta on a lonely two-lane road. I'm trying to make good time as we get a late start. We don't get to the Fort until after 3. No visitors' cars are in the parking lot. The wind is blowing strongly. The cat is no where around.
We decide to go into the Fort again as I have a National Park's pass and my mom has never seen it. We head down the trail looking for the cat. No kitty. I decide to call him. "Here kitty, kitty!" Nothing. One of my sons shouts out, "There he is!" He likes to fool around so I thought he was joking and I get mad. He points, "There!" The orange tabby is coming toward us out of the tall golden grass, meowing. He was hard to see in the grass and afternoon sun. At that point, we forget about Bent's Old Fort.
My oldest grabs the cat. The kitty hasn't changed his mind about being held from the previous day and jumps down and bolts. I've got a can of moist food in the car and entice him over with that. Grab him and the bowl up--he's eating as I'm holding him and shove him into a carrier in the trunk of my mom's car.
So to make a long story even longer, he appears to be healthy. Never had any diarrhea since we've had him. No signs of respiratory illness. Eats well and started gaining weight immediately. I still don't know if he's a male or female and we haven't come up with a name yet. I was going to get him to the vet on the 15th, but my dog's illness has delayed that some. He and our buff tabby aren't best buds, but they are tolerating each other some. I'll post some more recent pics of him below...
New, no name, Orange Tabby Cat
Old, Alfie, Buff Tabby Cat
Ping if you are interested in my Thanksgiving kitten story in posts 23—27. I finally got it typed up. Sorry it’s long—I’m long winded on the internet.
KPL'ers, ping to posts #23-27, and many congrats to beaversmom on her new feline family member.
CC
What a lucky kitty to have found you!
Heartwarming kitteh story on this dreary 10°F late-Fall day. Thanks for the ping and all your pings; I don’t say it enough.
New kitty seems to have made him/herself at home quite nicely. :)
And I'm partial to orange tabbies. :)
You’re very welcome.
And I'm partial to orange tabbies.:)
Me too. Just about every orange/buff/yellow tabby I've known has been a great, friendly cat. I hope we have him for a long time.
He didn’t waste any time making himself at home.
Thanks CAluvdubya. I questioned my sanity driving a 6 hour plus round trip to go back down to get him. Didn’t even know if we would be able to find him, but I think we made the right decision.
I kinda like your idea of Teddy as a name. When I told my mom and kids, they all really liked it too. Unless he turns out to be a girl, I think that’s the name we are going to go with. Thanks for the suggestion! :) I certainly was at a loss for coming up with a name.
Thanks SA. I hope we are lucky enough to have him for a long time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.