The Lucky Ones

Misty, above, was found in a box with his littermates, while Zooey, below, was found on the street.

My boss recently adopted a darling gray kitty, Misty. Misty was found in a box with two littermates in an industrial area by her husband’s office. One of his co-workers found them and found homes for all three kitties. Misty is a darling kitten, with tons of personality and has already brought a lot of joy to the household. 

I found a cat once at the grocery store. I was doing my weekly shopping, and heard a meow. I saw a red female tabby, looking dirty and hungry. She came into the car without concern, and I took her home. I had five other kitties at the time, and they did not take to her so I convinced my friends to take her. They named her Ralphie after the store where I found her and she lived to the ripe old age of 16. 

Another time I heard a meowing outside my front door. I lived upstairs in an apartment complex that was in a pretty developed area.  But here was a tabby who had seen some rough times. His tail had been broken, he had been in a fight as evidenced by the scratch on his nose, and he was very skinny. I started feeding him. Then one day a few weeks later, he came into the house; he lived with me for 12 years. I named him Kiki and it took him many years to learn to purr and become a lap cat, but eventually he did.

Just last year, I was going to a pet retailer and heard a meow. Someone had left a kitty in a cardboard carrier in a shopping basket. I guess they figured someone like me would happen along and find the cat. Luckily, there was an adoption group at the store at the time and they were willing to take the cat in and find a forever home for it. 

Even my Siamese boy, Meeser, was a rescue. His owners abandoned him at my vet’s when he was only 5 months old. Meeser was an exceptionally loving cat and I think we were meant to be with each other. I lost him to kidney disease when he was 16 and still think about him every day. 

My Siamese girl, Zooey, was also a rescue. She was found on the streets in Lompoc and had just given birth to a litter. The rescue group spayed her, found homes for her kittens, and I was lucky enough to adopt her. Zooey is a wonderful, loving cat and she brings me joy every day.

When I lived in Santa Barbara, a neighbor moved out and left two Siamese behind. I found Peanut and Whiskers hiding in the bushes one day. I brought them in, fattened them up a little, treated them for fleas, then found homes for them. I could not believe anyone could leave these two wonderful cats behind to fend for themselves.

Most cat lovers can’t understand how anyone could abandon little kittens or leave a cat in a box for someone else to find. That behavior is irresponsible. But for each of them, there are more people like us who really love cats and will go out of their way to take care of as many as possible, including saving abandoned kitties. 

Not only are those found kitties the lucky ones, the people who share their lives with them are even luckier.