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This picture from 23rd June 2011 popped up on a timeline memory.
Fourteen years. It feels like yesterday.
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Father’s Day in 2011 was June 18th. I was awakened that morning by a resounding crunch and thought some fool must have crashed their car on the busy road that intersected our street, but as I came downstairs I took in this sight through a window.
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A large branch of my old maple tree had come down, taking out my fence and the power lines, shutting off electricity to the entire neighbourhood.
On a Sunday and Father’s Day to boot, finding someone to sort this mess out was a challenge.
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But in due course help arrived and the power company turned up to reconnect the cables.
The tree could not be saved. It was in bad condition and had become a risk to the house. Having it felled was really sad, but it completely changed the ecosystem of the garden.
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Seeing those pictures brought back memories of all the animals that lived with me in those days.
Macy was the bunny I adopted as a companion for Joely who I’d taken from a work colleague.
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Joely was really into carrots!
Bunnies were new to me, but not hard to figure out and I enjoyed their company.
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The bunnies had a room of their own but they had many visitors.
Thimphu, aka Tim, recognised Timothy grass!
“Is for me, right?”
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Another memory from that time.
One evening I picked up a sack of kibble and the bottom burst open.
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Volunteers came to help clean up.
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Every thought of the house where I kept foster cats reminds me of “M” who was one of my first intakes.
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“M” and Oliver were best buddies and we actually found them a home together.
Delivering them to Bainbridge Island was really hard because we loved them both so much, but they deserved better than been kept in foster care with so many others.
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We came home feeling miserable, but the next day Grant got a call from the lady who had adopted our boys to say that “M” appeared traumatised and had taken refuge behind the washing machine.
Cats often take time to adjust, but it seemed unlikely to happen, so we took the ferry again to fetch the lad back.
“M” was very attached to Grant and after his failed adoption he remained with us as Chief Cat.
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Because of our proximity to a busy road, cats that wanted to walk were only allowed out on a harness.
Cassidy was very keen.
She has been taken to the vet to be euthanised because the owner could not afford her care when she was in remission after cancer treatment.
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The vet felt Cassidy had quality time left and asked if we would take her. She was lovely but quite standoffish.
One day an elderly couple came to meet another cat. The moment Cassidy set eyes on the woman, she got down off her perch and introduced herself and the couple fell in love.
The woman was also a cancer survivor.
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Piero had been teased by children which made him rather spiky, but after a few months of intense playtime at the kitty suites, he calmed down and went to live very happily with a veteran who suffered with PTSD.
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Grant finished the basement walls and added shelves and ramps for the cats, with lots of cubby holes.
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We also added an outside door and an extra window so the cats would always be able to see daylight.
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Sometimes we kept groups of cats separated for the sake of harmony, but when they were all agreeable, we opened up the connecting tunnel that Grant built.
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Cats get to you in different ways.
Bridget and her sister Macy had been left behind in an apartment.
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For some reason, Macy was the black one. Maybe I just got it wrong.
Bridget was blind in one eye. She had litter box issues which made finding her a home difficult, but the sisters were adopted together by a lady with disabilities. She and her husband quickly became devoted to the girls.
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“M” loved reclining on the cat furniture that a kind person donated.
After about eight years, we were left with cats that were unadoptable because of age and/or medical or behavioral issues, so I shut down my website.
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Not that it stopped the intake.
In 2017 we learned that one of our best adoptions had failed miserably. Willow (the first) returned.
And we could hardly leave her two companions in the shelter!
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So we acquired Penny and Muffin.
Penny had been inappropriately named Ninja and Muffin was Sasha, but we already had one of those.
(I actually called her Sikkim but it didn’t stick.)
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Some years after Willow was adopted, I’d given her name to a little grey cat that invited herself to stay, so for 13 days we had two Willows, but the original was sadly found dead one morning which was hard to bear.
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Finally, the winter before we left Washington, my little garden visitor asked if she could come in. We had always referred to her as Blackie and Blackie she remained, though I’ve always felt her name was just a bit unimaginative!
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That was supposed to be the lot.
After we moved, there would be no more cats!
Until Little Man turned up.
We could say no to people surrendering cats, but not to cats themselves.
Thank you so much, Carolyn, for the moving history of your selfless adoption of the cats in need, and the efforts to create a safe, comfortable, and forever home. Grant is a wonderful friend to have!
The excellent photos of all cats does adds to our imagination, and the pleasure of reading your posts!
Joanna
It’s always wonderful to hear your cats’ tales. I can’t even begin to imagine all the cat housekeeping jobs you would have to do each day to accommodate their needs!
I really enjoy your kitty stories, and pictures!
Thank you for sharing. 😻
Each one is so special, in their own way.
So happy that Little Man found you both!
Catherine
So many lucky cats who – after many travails – found their way to you.
I so love your back stories! You have made the world a better place for many unfortunate cats – and for the readers of your blog!
I have read some of these stories on your blog before, but every time you bring it up again, it is like a good book – I enjoy reading it again! However, this is the first time I’m reading about Cassidy and how beautiful it is that she has found her ‘person’ who is also a cancer survivor just like her.
I loved hearing the stories and seeing the beautiful pictures of the various cats that have played a role in your, Grant’s and sometimes Tim’s lives. To me, there is nothing as beautiful as a cat and each one is unique. Thanks for sharing all of this with us.
Great memories of fostering, and your joy of pets. I used to have rabbits when I lived with my parnets, and they would come into the house and sit on our laps, using sheets of newspaper like litter trays. But they never seemed to live that long, which always made me sad.
Best wishes, Pete.