Yesterday I went to Brussels and “adopted” three adult cats to foster. I intended to foster two but I ended up with three because eight was too many.
Ahem. Well.
There were two cats on short time in a shelter in Brussels. They are two of eight or so that were in the cattery there, all adult neutered males, and all have been there for over a year, some for two years. I went for Bambi and Toby because they have been there the longest, over a year each, and they are only a few weeks away from their time being up. When I arrived, I fell in love with Alban, Mingati, and a sad tuxedo cat. And I stood in the sterile, concrete cattery and tried my best not to cry. I was mostly successful. But only mostly.
I managed to get out of there with only three cats to foster, but with a heavy heart and a determination to find homes for as many of them as possible. For now, Benny (The Cat Formerly Known as Bambi), Toby and Alban are safe in my upstairs guest bedroom. They have a veterinarian appointment on Monday for a check up and then hopefully they will be ready to be adopted.
Mingati, the handsome tabby with Bengal markings, is on a short list as well, but I didn’t take him because there is a lady interested in him. He is on a 12-day quarantine to buy him some time. He is gorgeous.
Mingati: his curious face and his stunning Bengal-like coat!
Although Mingati still has a lady interested in adopting him, he isn’t out of the woods yet. Until he is safely adopted, he is not out of the woods. In fact, as you might imagine, any animal in a shelter is at the mercy of the people who run the shelter. Sometimes decisions are made that are in the best interests of the animals, and sometimes decisions are made for expediency. That is why the No-Kill movement is so important, and why so many people are on board.
Alban in the middle, Toby bottom left and Benny bottom right. Top left and right are two who remain at the shelter for now, but they are in my heart.
The tuxedo boy, top left, is very sad and shy, but he loves attention. Top right is a fat-cheeked small cat who loves rubs and snuggles. Not pictured are a small, inquisitive tabby, a bigger friendly tabby, two reverse tuxedo cats who love people, and I can’t remember if there are any others. All are sterilized males, and I think they are all two to four years old.
So for now, we think they are safe there, and Benny, Toby and Alban are here with me. But that isn’t the end. I’m not the end for these little ones. They need their forever homes. My own George, Gwen and Maggie are mine; they and my little dog love me and they need the majority of my attention and love. So these fosters and the ones left at the shelter must be adopted. You see, this is how no-kill works; people like me and you, we adopt these animals temporarily and work our butts off to find forever homes for them. We work really hard to find their homes because we have a vested interest; they are living in our homes. We have much greater motivation than shelter employees. It’s pretty simple, really, and it’s proven to work.
I love doing this because I know I’m making a difference. These cats deserve a chance and I’m helping to give it to them! It feels good for me, and at the end of the day, when they go to their forever homes, it will feel beyond good for me and for them. I can hardly wait.
Until then, I’m having three cat nights. Well, to put it precisely, they are six-cat-one-dog nights. And days.
But George isn’t going to put up with that for long!
George, my alpha cat.
So help George out and spread the word!
What Living Feels Like 