Francie was determined to survive another Oregon winter. She and her six kittens lived in a cave of blackberry brush next to a meadow adjacent to an apartment complex. Fortunately for the longhaired gray and white cat, a neighbor woman took a liking to her and provided food, water and a makeshift shelter. The meadow and nearby woods were ripe with coyotes and bobcats, but the momma cat nevertheless allowed her kittens to play unattended at night while she went to hunt for garbage in the local dumpster. Francie was skin and bones. Would she survive another winter? The kindly neighbor was moving to California and worried what would become of Francie because she didn’t know how to hunt for food.
After the woman moved, another neighbor continued to feed the young family. She noticed that every day the dishes she’d put out had been moved close to the sidewalk, and every day in frustration she dragged them back safely behind a tree. One night after work, she noticed a lot of activity by the brush and raced over seeking an immediate explanation. She found Kathy Hoober, a close neighbor and friend, sitting on a lawn chair with a glass of wine in one hand and a piece of dental floss in the other. Next to her was a younger woman stretched out on the ground like a soldier in combat, her glass of wine on the ground, with a piece of dental floss attached to the door of another small crate. They quickly explained that they were trying to rescue the brood so that they could be adopted safely. The next evening, they performed the same routine and trapped the first two of Francie’s six kittens.
**Get the September 2008 issue of CAT FANCY to read the full article.**