Tuesday at the Shelter

It must be some kind of subconscious thing that I end up doing the majority of the rescues on Monday and Tuesday - my least two favourite days of the week. Usually, the act of rescuing perks me up a bit on those otherwise bleak days.

I met a foster Dad at the shelter today to help him pick out a foster cat. He brought two cat carriers with him "just in case". (Who's he kidding?) This time of year affords a lot of deserving adults and young adults to get out of the shelter. In the summer, most of the cats wouldn't stand a chance. His first choice was "Charla":

Charla had been at the shelter for a month because a staff member (who doesn't really like cats) decided he really liked Charla. I think the rest of the staff members were so astounded that he actually had a favourite, they decided to make sure she was kept alive. Charla adores her new foster Dad and was NOT going to be left behind. She purred and rubbed and licked his face. His knees buckled at the cuteness - ahhh.... :)

The big decision turned out to be Cat #2. Cat #2 was listed as "Nathan" on the shelter website:

Upon further inspection, "Nathan" turned out to be a PREGNANT female! (Say what?) It was too late, she had charmed her way into the foster Dad's heart. Besides, he was interested in trying to foster a pregnant Mom. Coincidence that Nathan was really a pregnant female? I think not!

"Bonnie Blue" was another pitiful little soul that I had been watching each time I would go into the shelter:She came into the shelter obviously starving. She had lost 1/2 of her hair due probably due to malnutrition. Picking her up was like holding a skeleton. As sad as it sounds, after each euthanasia day, I always expected her cage to be empty. But despite the odds, Bonnie Blue continued to survive at the shelter. When I found out that others had been thinking about Bonnie, I decided to make a few calls. The rescue generously gave the thumbs up to rescue Bonnie and a foster home came forward to help her.

Currently, Bonnie is at the vets until tomorrow. She weighs 4 lbs, which is 3 lbs more than I thought she'd weigh! Her body temp is subnormal, which is typical of a cat who has been starving. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out. Regardless, she won't die in the shelter and has a chance to blossom.

It's not my imagination that I've rescued a few at-risk cats recently. I'm always astounded at the kindness of the organization for which I volunteer and the people that care enough to help these little angels.

Tomorrow isn't a rescue day, but I'm meeting with another volunteer to work on a project that will ultimately help more cats get out of this shelter. There isn't much time left before kitten season starts, but at least I'm not sitting around waiting for somebody else to do something.