And They Lived Happily Ever After Page 3
Introducing a Puppy Into your Kitty-Centric Household Page 4
While the Owner's Away, the Pets Should Play! Page 5
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FFR Update Page 9
FOLSOM FELINE RESCUE VOLUNTEER CHRISTY DREWRY ADOPTS KITTY “SKI” TO MATT AND CHAI
One of the many benefits of volunteering with Folsom Feline Rescue (FFR) is seeing so many wonderful adoptions take place. Nothing is so heartwarming as rescuing a cat or kitten from a miserable life and helping it find a home where it will be loved and cared for, for the rest of its life. This is where our help is needed, and we are glad to give it because of the happiness it brings to us and the new adoptive families.
Below are three stories from wonderful people who have volunteered at our adoption events. They know the joy that comes from a successful adoption because they see it firsthand. I hope these stories warm your hearts and, perhaps, you will want to share in these wonderful experiences by also being a volunteer.
- Janet Bennett
Probably the best part about being a regular volunteer at adoption events is that I get to see previous adoption families, as well as regular FFR supporters. People will stop by our table and tell me stories about how their cat is doing, how he's adapted, how he is getting along with the family, who is their favorite human friend, or how the other cats in the house are now behaving.
I also have regulars who just come to visit the cats. They spend time with each new kitten and renew their relationship with the cats we've had up for adoption for a while. Many make small cash donations, bring food or bedding, or just bring their children or other family members to enjoy some time with the cats. Many know me by name, but most refer to me as “the cat guy.” What a wonderful opportunity to meet and get to know people on a completely different level!
- Randy Aspinall
Girls are usually drawn right to the kittens at our adoption events. The teens sometimes give a cursory glance to the adult cats waiting in their cages, but the young ones are captivated by the “cuteness” of kittens. That is why these two preteen girls caught my attention one fall day. They spent just a moment looking at the kittens, but stopped everything when they saw Ginger Spice. That wasn't too odd; Ginger gets that kind of attention when people see her for the first time. “She's gorgeous-and so big!” Yes, Ginger is over 16 pounds of colorful tabby, with lush fur that makes her look at least 20 pounds. When she spreads out for a nap, she looks like a plush carpet! As her foster parent, I assumed no one would want this 8-year-old cat and I'd have to keep her for a long time.
The two girls were excited about Ginger. They conferred quietly between themselves and then hurried off. Hmmm… About twenty minutes later, the girls returned, with grandpa in tow. They hustled him up to the cage to look at Ginger, though he was reluctant. I learned he had recently lost his long-time companion, a large and fluffy tabby that passed away at age 14. Grandpa would not have another cat after that one; he was too heartbroken. Once he saw Ginger though, he smiled and his eyes brightened. Grandpa couldn't take his eyes off her.
We all knew this was a perfect match, granddaughters, grandpa, I, and especially grandma. She had been standing in the back, not wanting to come forward, just watching. When her husband picked up Ginger Spice and began to pet her, I saw the tears come to grandma's eyes.
Two young girls brought joy back to their grandfather that day, and Ginger Spice found a loving home.
- Christy Drewry
Soda was born with four siblings to a feral mom. He and his littermates were brought inside after six weeks to learn the life of a domestic cat. After becoming accustomed to living in a house with people, all the kittens were easily adopted out (after checking out with a clean bill of health). All, that is, except for Soda.
Soda was a very sweet, playful kitten but very apprehensive around new environments and people. So, unfortunately, he did not catch the eye of prospective adopters right away. As his foster mom, I knew he had a great personality but was too shy to be himself in front of new people. Once Soda was alone (without his siblings) he started to become even more apprehensive in new environments. So much so that when we tried to put him in a kennel at an adoption event, he bolted out of the cage at the pet store before any volunteers could capture him.
Soda is quite the runner and a master at hiding. He managed to evade all attempts of capturing him for four days! He finally let us capture him-and I say “let us,” because I think he was in control of the situation.
For the four days he was loose in the pet store he played with some employees and got into a couple of bags of food. He made himself at home during his stay, but was ready to come back to his foster home at the end of the ordeal. A few weeks after this adventure, we decided to give Soda another shot at an adoption event. And we should have guessed that attempt was not going to go off without more drama. As a couple volunteers tried to get Soda into a kennel, he resisted and managed to escape again. That is one fast cat! This time he was only loose in the store for about 3 hours. Thankfully some volunteers and pet store employees were able to capture him.
After the second successful escape on Soda's part, we decided to only show him on the FFR web site. We posted the humorous story about his escapes in hopes that the right person would see it and fall in love with him (crazy quirks and all).
However, things started to look fairly grim for Soda. After 6 months on the web site, only one prospective adopter had come see him. Then along came a very nice gal named Jana. She and her mom came over to see Soda. They explained that they had seen his picture and story on the web site month after month, and thought they would come meet Soda to see if he would make a good fit with Jana's household. They decided they were not leaving without him and took him home that night.
Jana already had two other cats. When Soda met the two he was showing his very shy side. Luckily he didn't run all over the house, he just hunched down looking very apprehensive. Jana and her mom really liked him and believed in his potential of making a good addition to their family.
Initially I checked in with Jana every few weeks to learn of Soda's progress. The first two weeks he did a lot of hiding. He then started to periodically peek out and interact with the family. Eventually Soda made good friends with their cat Nike. Soda loves to run (obviously) so he now has a fellow feline friend to run and play chase with.
In Jana's last email to me, which was about 8 months after adopting Soda, she stated how happy she was with Soda. She said, “He is nothing like he was when I first met him.” He sleeps on the bed every night and helps wake her up when the alarm goes off in the morning. He loves to be petted and held, but does still hide if new people come into the house. We at FFR could not be happier for our little friend Soda, who eventually found the perfect family.
- Venus Vasquez