The Highs and Lows of Rescue
Kitten season this year was no different than any other but it didn’t feel that way. Many of the TCS members who volunteer were lamenting how full their shelters were. Members who foster were busy and also full to capacity. Every week there were new people appearing who had found a stray or feral and chose to foster on their own. It can seem overwhelming. Some had to bottle feed and lose sleep to keep their rescues alive sometimes in areas far away from a vet or a supermarket. Sometimes the result is tragic as with Marianjela and booktiger who witnessed kittens who were born deformed. They didn’t make it. Mews2much tells how almost all of her very young rescues don’t make it. Some kittens are too fragile and the odds are against them and no amount of work and devotion can save them. Thankfully, the happy endings are far more numerous. erzsebet has 3 happy stories about rescues, white cat lover has many with a standout being Bea who she fostered for many months before finding her a new home. gayef told a story about a case called simply bag of kittens. 5 week old kittens who were thrown away but beat the odds and survived. All were adopted with one going to her mother, named Gengi who she says is very spoiled and very loved. Those are the stories that keep us going and giving us enough hope to say yes to a sad stray by the side of the road or a bag of kittens or a kitten in a puddle after a natural disaster. It can feel like the homeless cat problem is beyond the grasp of the resources available. There is truth in that. But rescuers have no choice but to do as much as they can. It is a calling and one look at a homeless or helpless kitty and the doubts melt away. You know that you can try and you know that your best can’t save every one of them but when a tiny kitten makes it through the night it makes it all feel worth it. When you get your first purr then you are hooked forever. When you visit the Ferals and Rescue boards there are many stories of heroes and heroines who go down in the trenches to save a life or lives inspiring others to follow suit. We know that the homeless cat epidemic is vast and sometimes overwhelming. Doing nothing is not an option. So we continue on and for some like hissy, become experts and mentors to others, therefore, touching even more lives and making even more of a difference.
There is no special recognition, glory or awards but there are headbutts, purrs and kneading which truth be told are much much better.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:05 am
I support your efforts. Even though many humans may ignore what you are doing be assured that those you save know that you made a day better.