Our work with our cats and kittens involves both heartbreaking and heartwarming experiences. Here are just a few of our heartwarming stories. We are SO grateful for our wonderful adopters who provide good forever homes for the kitties whom we have grown to love during their time with us.
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Fala and Fonzie came to us as kittens one fall. They were adopted out together, but about a year later, their owner moved and turned them in to Animal Care and Control, who returned them to us. We realized that they were very dependent on each other, so we insisted that as a bonded pair, they must be adopted together, even if it meant that it might be harder to find an adopter. They were adopted together, but the new owners discovered that someone in the household was allergic to them, so they again were returned to our care.
Although we publicized them on Facebook and took them to every adoption event, where people saw how cute they were, for some reason, no one was interested in adopting them. We were really hoping that they would find their forever home by Christmas, but it was not to be.
Just after New Year’s, a mom and her two boys came to Petco to look at kitties. The mom told the store manager that she was really looking for an adult cat, and she was directed to look at Fala and Fonzie on Petfinder. She did, and immediately was interested. They made arrangements to come back and meet Fala and Fonzie the next day and they were sent home that afternoon. The boys are so excited to each have a cat of their own! They love their big, sweet, cuddly marshmallow cats, and Fala and Fonzie could not be happier to have found their forever home.
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Butters was an outside kitten, living in an abandoned house, when a community cat feeder noticed he was not moving around like the other kittens nor eating well. She told someone at the HOPE clinic, who notified us. He came to us as a very sick kitten who only weighed three pounds. Butters appeared to be in severe respiratory distress and our vet gave him numerous rounds of antibiotics as well as his regular vaccines. Trips to several different veterinarians failed to resolve his problems – he continued to have trouble breathing, had a thick nasal discharge, and was not eating well. We had to suction his nose frequently. Despite his illness and difficulty breathing, Butters wanted to eat, be petted, to crawl onto our laps for a nap and then he wanted to play. Because of his amazing personality, we couldn’t give up on this little guy. Here is a picture of Butters when he was sick:
We took him to a veterinary cat specialist at NIVES. She tested him and diagnosed an ear infection, and a large soft tissue polyp in his middle ear that extended into his nasal passages – completely blocking both nostrils. Butters underwent successful surgery and went back into foster care to recover. When he came home, he was wearing a cone he hated – he got it off the first hour he was home and was proudly parading around without it! He ate like a tiger, played with toys, laid on his foster mom’s lap while she combed, brushed, and trimmed nails. After he snoozed about 20 minutes, he dragged his toys around, playing again! His personality was so loving, and he seemed to be grateful for all the care he had received. Although we took him to a number of adoption events, Butters was passed by, perhaps because he had grown during his medical ordeal and was no longer a little kitten. He was finally adopted a couple months later, but unfortunately, his new owner had to return him because other animals in their household did not like him, and after his return, he again was passed by at our adoption events. It was frustrating not to see him find a home, because of his great personality – he was so happy — one could tell by his attitude, his running up to you on entry to his domain-he was simply beside himself with joy: rubbing all over you, head bumping, etc.
About six months later, one of our board members learned that an acquaintance had recently lost a beloved cat and was searching for another. She explained that she was not looking for a baby, and that she preferred a male. The board member realized that this might be a perfect home for Butters! She and Butters’ foster mom, took Butters to meet his prospective new mom and dad. It was love at first sight, not just for the people, but Butters snuggled and cuddled and purred as if he had found heaven! It took him less than 24 hours to settle in and to get acquainted with his new pals – two family dogs. He sleeps with his new parents, suns himself in a window with a beautiful view every day, and is finally living the happy life he so deserves!
Here is a picture of Butters enjoying his good life:
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Zack and Duke together forever! Awhile ago, one of our older kittens, Zack, was adopted and so loved but reluctantly returned to us because it was determined the resident older cat in the house who had neurological issues was getting worse with Zack’s presence and his wanting to play. The owner, Sonja, was in tears at having to surrender Zack but she knew it was the best for their older cat. A month or so later the older cat died of natural causes, and Sonja inquired if we still had Zack. Due to an act of “good faith” by some of our group, Zack had not been adopted out and she was able to get him back! Because she did not want Zack to be alone, she took Duke with Zack. Duke was a kitten with stress issues who was very uneasy with people he did not know. Sonja, being so kind and “cat wise”, took Duke to her veterinarian where the stress was diagnosed and treated. Duke is now having wrestling bouts with Zack, who is so happy to have a feisty interactive playmate! They wrestle in front of their owners every evening so the owners can enjoy the wrestling bouts!
Sonja took Duke who never made up to anyone–so shy and so threatened by everything. She even said in her last email that if he never gets more social than he is now, they don’t care. He is fine like he is and keeping Zack so entertained and out of trouble that they don’t mind his being startled if they appear. Duke waits until they are settled, and sitting down before he re-enters the room and resumes his wrestling match with Zack. They are ok with that. Absolutely wonderful, kind, patient, understanding people. We love it when we meet adopters like this – a happy tale for the cats, the adopters, and us at EB Feline Rehoming!
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Little Red and Ladybug came to us as tiny kittens with the rest of their siblings All came to us with an untreated eye virus. Ladybug had one smaller eye and a scarred retina due to this virus as a baby — Little Red escaped the scarring but all the siblings had to be treated 3 times a day and became very hand shy due to the medications being put in their eyes continually. We lost precious weeks while these kittens were very small to be able to offer them for adoption due to their eye issues. When they were about 6 months old, “Bug” and Red were still so skittish that we weren’t even sure we’d be able to get good pictures of them, and we were considering the possibility of getting them into a barn cat program. But their fosters hung in there with them and slowly they began to come around. After they were moved to the Petco habitat, they were exposed to many different caretakers and situations and continued to improve every day. They both developed into the most sweet, loving, affectionate kitties you could ever ask for. They were nearly a year old before being adopted by a very wonderful lady, Rita, who saw them cuddled together in the Petco habitat. She said Ladybug took to her bed and lap almost immediately. A week or so later, Red began playing with her and three days after that, was lying in her lap! She says they are BOTH very affectionate girls and sleep (at least some of the night) with her. How happy we are as we watch shy cats become social, and then see them connect with a special person! We are especially happy that these two sisters are getting to stay together in their forever home!
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Patti came to us as a young adult. When very small, she was put outside and had to fend for herself and fight with other cats for food to stay alive. As a result, she was very loving with people but afraid of other cats, so we knew that she needed to go to a home where she would be the only kitty. Patti was adopted last summer, and was very happy, until her new owner lost her job and her home and had to return Patti to us. Over a year after she first came to us, a sweet couple came in and fell in in love with Patti. Their previous cat (a former feral, whom they had patiently socialized) looked a lot like our Patti, and had recently passed on at the age of 16. Patti went home with them (and became Patti Ann), and as you can see from the pictures, is very, very happy in her forever home!
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Lucky was one of the kittens in the litter of Little Red, Ladybug and Lucky who came to us with a virus which damaged their eyes – Lucky’s were the worst. Lucky’s owner adopted him from us, and then a little later, adopted another of our kitties, Maggie, a tabby. Lucky’s two sisters, Little Red and Ladybug have recently found their forever home – together! Look for their Happy Tail, above!
Here is Lucky’s and Maggie’s Happy Tail, as told by their new mom:
“It’s been a while since we adopted Lucky and Maggie, so I wanted to keep my promise and give you an update. But before I do that, I want to thank you and all the rest of EB. You have enriched our lives so much through our babies, and I am so happy we took the chance on Lucky and then decided to go further and give him a sister.
We have found that Lucky sees most everything, he chases the red dot now too, though he doesn’t watch out the window at the birds like Maggie, unless the door is cracked, which adds the smells and sounds. We have a theory that the reflections are hard for him to separate from what’s outside. Otherwise Lucky’s eyes don’t really seem to bother him at all, besides the occasional eye drops, but we have found a system now and he tolerates it. He gets around so well that you’d never know otherwise. Right after his first vet visit, his normal doctor checked with a kitty eye specialist and she even said his eyes look great and are unlikely to cause future issues!
Lucky and Maggie can be the craziest, silliest kitties ever, and then just settle down into the sweetest cuddles you’ve ever seen. Lucky is the big character of the house, jumping up on my shoulders for daily parrot rides, and he always gets the last say on who is allowed on the top tier of the cat tree. He even has a Teddy bear that he likes to force into the food bowl so it can eat (see picture below)!
Maggie is more cat than Lucky, picking and choosing when she wants love — though she will no doubt tell you at 5 am that she needs a belly rub. She also has come out of her shell since we first added her to the family; she holds her own anytime Lucky wants to play, and she even sometimes starts it.
Those first couple of days after we got Maggie were rough, since Lucky thought she was stealing us away (we had to sneak pet her or he would make those angry kitty noises!). But now, they are thick as thieves and do nearly everything together.
There is no real way to explain all the things that happen each day that just lighten my day.”
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Kitty Love! Meet Fay, one of our former kittens who found her fur-ever home with her loving person. It is hard to tell who loves whom more!! This is what a purr-fect adoption looks like!
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Buzz, a verified Snowshoe mix, and his brother Bogey, a black and white bicolor, and their siblings were born to a mama cat in a feral colony. These two kittens had eyes that were literally stuck shut with infection, and so when coyotes invaded their colony, they hunkered down in a hollow log. Their sighted littermates who ran away, were all caught and killed by the coyotes. After it was all over, the keeper of the colony found the two kittens still huddled down in the log. She got in touch with HOPE for Animals, who contacted us. We got the kittens that day. They each weighed less than a pound when they came to us. It took three days of meds, and warm gauze compresses before these little guys even could begin to open their eyes, but lucky for them, being sick had saved their lives. Both were now healthy, sweet, playful little kittens with no residual effects from either the infections or the lack of a mama cat after the attack.
The weekend before Christmas a nice couple from near Grand Rapids drove down to meet Buzz. They fell in love with him and came back the day after Christmas to pick him up. So now little Buzz has moved to Michigan to live with his new daddy and momma, who is a veterinarian!! Here is a picture of Buzz with his new daddy.
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Spending time in a loving home environment with a foster instead of a “cat room” or a cage at a shelter can make all the difference in the world for the shy kitties on their road to finding their fur-ever homes!! Dimples was one of our kittens who was pretty shy at first, and it took a long time for her to find her home. She was finally adopted, and her new family says, “Dimples, now named Meredith Grey is absolutely loving her new home! She loves snuggling with her mom and dad, and she is so playful! Here are some pictures! She is very loved & spoiled!”
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Marnie and Morrie (above) were two adorable and friendly tabby kitten littermates who had been with us for several months. They started out very shy, but with lots of loving care, learned to trust people. One Saturday, a lovely couple and their young son came in, looking for sweet and gentle kitties to join their family. They chose Marnie and Morrie! They wrote to us: “We wanted to let you know that we are so in love with Morrie and Marnie, they are such sweethearts. They are the best of friends and are usually in whichever room we are in. Thank you for rescuing these sweet kitties and for helping to place them with us. I’m also sending some recent photos of both. They love our son, and often cuddle up next to him.”
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Zeus, our $2700 kitten (who had an ear polyp removed), also found a home. His new (human) dad understands what Zeus has been through and is totally committed to giving Zeus the care he might need if the polyp returns, which our vet said was unlikely.
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Rocky is a large part Maine Coon black kitty. He found his perfect, forever home with an owner who considers Rocky the best Christmas present ever! Here he is starting to bond with his new family!
EB Feline Rehoming 