ABBY
Late one wintry night someone
threw out a cat in labor and her newborn kitten. A passerby picked them up and brought them to Denise Sincio
of the Westfield Homeless Cat Project.
Denise put the cat in a cage overnight - hoping for the best, fearing
the worst. When she checked early
the next morning, the cat had given birth to two more kittens, hadn’t cleaned
or nursed them and was frenzied.
The mother cat, only about 6
months old and just a kitten herself, hated being in a cage so Denise got her
and the three kittens into a foster home in hopes that she would settle down
and care for her kittens. Her
foster parents named her ABBY, an anagram for BABY since that was what she
still was.
That night Abby delivered two
more kittens – both stillborn.
The next week was touch and go with Abby near death and unable to care
for her kittens. Thanks to medication, around-the-clock syringe feeding, and a
great deal of care, Abby and two of the kittens survived.
As Abby healed and began to
produce milk, she nursed and cared for her kittens. Although the kittens had many illnesses along the way including
colds, eye infections and intestinal problems, the Westfield Homeless Cat
Project provided the needed care and they grew into healthy, playful
kittens.
What began as a nightmare ended happily as Abby and both of
her beautiful kittens found forever homes where they are valued and loved. As we look at these beautiful kittens
and rejoice that they and Abby survived and found homes, their suffering and
the needless deaths of Abby’s other three kittens due to senseless human
cruelty anger us and remind us why our NO KILL rescue is so needed.Abby.pdf
HANDSOM
The phone call came at 3:00
p.m. on one of the coldest days in December. I was asked if I had received a phone call earlier that day
about a cat that was hit by a car.
Obviously, I had not. I ran
to my answering machine and impatiently listened to dozens of messages, until I
heard a woman’s voice describing an injured cat lying in her front yard. She apologized for not doing anything;
she said her husband wouldn’t let her help the cat. The woman did not leave her name or number-thankfully, she
left the address.
I grabbed a carrier and a blanket
and flew out the frontdoor. As I
raced across town, I thought that if this poor animal was injured and in the
freezing cold for six hours, I might be too late. I pushed these thoughts aside as I approached the address
given me.I slowed down and looked carefully on both sides of the
road. And there, lying in the
middle of someone’s lawn, I spotted a pile of gray fur.
Blood was frozen to the cat’s face, his eyes, and his mouth. But he was alive! I kneeled beside him and gently touched
his head. I told him I was there
to help him, and somehow, he understood.
Hoping that his bones weren’t broken, I wrapped a warm blanket around
his body and gently lowered him into the carrier. I placed him on the front seat of the car and pointed the
warm air front the vent in his direction.
He looked at me with sad eyes as we drove the many miles to the vet’s
office. I was angry to think that
anyone could leave an animal helpless and not respond.
The vet awaited our arrival. He took the cat in immediately, and I patiently waited for
news for what seemed like hours.
Finally, the vet appeared and told me that the cat would recover. He had a broken jaw, his mouth was split in half, and his teeth
were all broken. But the good news
was that all of the bones in his body were fine.
The vet named the cat Handsom, and for three months, while he
recovered from his injuries, Handsom was a very special guest at the hospital.
Finally, our precious Handsom was released to the shelter, where
many loving volunteers awaited his arrival. Since then, Handsom was adopted into a very loving home.
Handsom’s story has a happy ending. Like Handsom, each and every cat that enters our shelter is
precious in our eyes!
DIESEL
Diesel’s mother was found pregnant
and abandoned, living out of a dumpster.
She ate scraps and whatever else she could find to survive.
A kind woman found Diesel’s mother and brought her
to the Westfield Homeless Cat Project.
She was very weak, dehydrated and near starvation. Only hours after arriving, the cat went
into labor and gave birth to eight kittens over a twelve hour period. Five of the kittens died during delivery;
three survived and were rushed off to foster care. Sadly, the kittens were so premature that two of them died
within hours. The surviving kitten
waged a courageous battle to survive.
Diesel, named by his foster mom, was fed every two hours around the
clock. Each day he fought to live! And that he did! At eight weeks he more resembled a four
week old, but with care and attention, Diesel grew into a beautiful Maine Coon
cat mix.
Diesel is now living the life of a prince. He weighs ten pounds and lives happily with his foster mom,
who just couldn’t give him up.